


Into the Unknown

by KylieRiley



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-09
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:13:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 55,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23563612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KylieRiley/pseuds/KylieRiley
Summary: Twenty years after Regina failed to enact the Dark Curse, the Kingdom of Misthaven finds themselves at the mercy of the Wicked Witch of the West. To avoid war, Emma agrees to marry Zelena’s only son, Walsh. But desperate times call for desperate measures, and Emma finds herself turning to none other than the infamous Captain Killian Jones for help. Captain Swan.
Relationships: Captain Hook | Killian Jones/Emma Swan
Comments: 17
Kudos: 69





	1. Strangers Like Me

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own OUAT or any of its characters. This is purely for my own entertainment.
> 
> A/N: ALRIGHT. Going to give this story a shot because I cannot get it out my head and quarantine/social distancing has me incredibly bored. A few important things to note is that this story takes place roughly twenty years after Regina failed to enact the Dark Curse. No one left the Enchanted Forest and the Charming family has been happily living out their days in Misthaven since. Additionally, Killian still has his hand. He has not become Captain Hook at this point in time…(I know. I know! stick with me! You’ll see). Snow and Charming also have a son in this story.

“Are you sure about this?”

No. Emma was not sure, but she trekked on all the same. No point in turning back now. She had made up her mind not more than two moons prior and nothing could change it now. Her brother, Leo, waiting for a response, had his hand on the gate. She gave the smallest indication of a nod. With a sigh, he shoved the door open.

It creaked loudly from years of neglect and rust. Had her parents known that not all the tunnels under the castle had been destroyed in the war, she suspected they would have sealed them off years ago.

The sun had long since disappeared, turning the sky into a canvas of blue and specks of white. The moon shone brightly above them and the castle laid behind them, a fortress of stone sitting peacefully at the edge of the sea. It was a cool night, though one that hinted summer was just around the corner.

Her last summer.

Well, free, summer anyway.

Emma pushed the grim thought quickly away before she could dwell on it for too long. They dressed in plain clothes, ones that she suspected Leo had stolen from one of the servants. She found them much more comfortable than the typical aloof dresses her mother insisted she wore. Her hair stood up on odd ends, having long since fallen out of its braid. She only hoped her mother would not press the matter when she attempted to brush out the knots in the morning.

Emma caught her brother’s eye in the darkness. It amazed her how a simple outfit could change ones appearance. It suited him, she thought, this laid back look. She couldn’t help but wonder if he would have been more content in another life. Even still, she saw her father in him all the same and she only hoped that no one would recognize them.

“You know this is barking mad, right?” Leo whispered, catching up to her. “This is a terrible idea. If mother and father find out—”

“Relax. Mother and father are asleep. They aren’t going to find out. You’re acting like we’ve never snuck out before.”

“I believe circumstances have changed since we last snuck out,” Leo told her dryly.

She quickened her pace having spotted the lights of the tavern up ahead. They knew the way out of the castle better than they probably should have. Finding the tunnel nearly six years ago had been an accident, though one that had suited them quite well over the years.

Leo eyed the pub with dismay. His resentment to the plan was a testament in itself. Usually Leo liked breaking the rules. She pointed this out to him, trying to keep the mood light-hearted.

“Not when your life is at stake,” he shot back quickly.

“I’ll be fine,” she assured him, not knowing if this was true or not. “It’s the only way.”

“It’s not. You know it's not.”

It was. It had to be. This was their last hope. Their only true hope. If there was another way, her parents would have done it by now and she refused to let people die for her.

Inside the pub, it was dark, only half full, not what you would expect on such a nice night. They entered the pub and immediately choose an empty table in the back. It was a hole in the wall type of place, but close enough to the docks that it gained enough visitors who wished to drown their sorrows with rum and beer. Music played in the background, a tune she recognized but couldn’t quite place.

It had been awhile since she had last snuck out of the castle. When she had turned 18, her parents had lifted the veil shielding her childhood, and she quickly came to realize the perils the kingdom faced.

“Perhaps he really is nothing but a bedtime story.”

She had never met the man, this Pirate Captain who went by Killian Jones. She would have thought him a fairytale if she hadn’t overheard her father discussing trade down by the docks with his soldiers. If the stories about this pirate captain were even remotely true, then she knew her father did not make the decision to let him walk away lightly.

She glanced around the pub, trying to imagine what a pirate from a fairytale would even look like.

“We could run away.”

Her brother’s suggestion surprises her. She’d be lying if she said the thought hadn’t crossed her mind before. But what of their parents? What would become of their kingdom?

Her silence spurred Leo’s thoughts. “We could go anywhere. Valherst? Or Fisher Island. I’ve heard they have dolphins there.”

“It’s a wonderful wish,” she tells her brother, leaving it at that because that’s all it’ll ever will be. A wish.

Leo lets out a heavy sigh. “What if he’s worst than her?”

It had crossed her mind. What if the pirate who feared nothing was worst than the Wicked Witch who threatened their crown? It was difficult to imagine anything worse than the hag herself or her bastard son—the same bastard son Emma had agreed to marry to save their kingdom from war.

“You can still call it off you know.”

“He’s coming,” she insisted, not taking her eyes off the door.

“I’m not talking about the pirate.”

Finally, Emma turned to meet her brother. He bore a look of pity in those big, brown eyes of his—eyes that reminded him so much of their mother’s. All Emma could see in that moment was her stupid baby brother. He may have just turned eighteen, but she would forever remember him as the toddler she use to fight and tease with when they were younger.

“There is no other way,” Emma told him reluctantly.

“Yes,” Leo insisted. “Yes there is. You just don't want to do anything about it."

His insult and complete selfishness stung.

“And then what? Have our people slaughtered and tortured in the streets? I will not have their blood on my hands, Leo. Not if I can prevent it.” Then quieter, softer, “You’ve seen what she can do. You’ve seen what zelena is capable of.”

Everyone knew that Misthaven was on the cusp of war, a war they could not win. For that very reason, it had been her choice to make an alliance and accept Walsh’s proposal. For the good of the kingdom, Emma thought bitterly.

“That’s not true. There are people who will fight with us. There are people who believe in us.”

His ignorance annoyed her sometimes. She envied it too, for his ability to live such a naïve life. When she was little, she delighted in the fact that she was two years older. Now she realized Leo had always been the lucky one.

“But…Emma… she’s wicked,” he told her this as if it had just occurred to him. They didn’t call her the Witched Witch for nothing. “You can’t possibly trust her.”

Emma didn’t trust her. Not at all. In fact, once Zelena got her heir, Emma suspected Zelena would kill her the first chance she got. Emma would not let that happen.

“He might not be that bad,” Emma said instead. Gods, she sounded like their mother, so positive and full of hope.

Leo narrowed his eyes at her, calling her out on her bluff. “Then what are we doing here.”

She huffed at him. “It doesn’t hurt to have a plan b.”

Still, Leo didn’t back down. “Mother and father said you don’t have to marry anyone you don’t want to. We will find another way.”

Easy for him to say.

“There’s not,” she insisted, now fiddling with the swan necklace her father had given her when she had come of age.

For twenty-years, her parents let darkness cloud their better judgement, worried that her mother’s step mother would one-day return and take back the kingdom. So when that one-day did come, they had never expected Regina’s sister to show up at their door. Her mother hadn’t even known Regina had a sister.

There was more to the story, naturally. There always was another side, more to tell, but that was a story for another rainy day.

Misthaven would lose if they went to war with Zelena. They didn’t have magic, after all. An alliance would prevent death. Marrying Walsh would save their kingdom, her people…even if it meant she’d have to produce a heir for the son of the Wicked Witch of the West.

“I hate this,” Leo admitted with a huff. “The fate of the kingdom shouldn’t rest on your shoulders.”

They sat in silence after that, unable to think of anything else to say. The thing was, Leo was wrong. This war did rest on her shoulders. Blue finally broke the news that she had been the product of true love—a secret the fairy had selfishly chosen to keep from both herself and her parents for nearly twenty years. Yes. Apparently, she had light magic, light magic that could defeat Zelena for good. Only, she needed to find a way to unlock it.

 _If you do not find a way, no one will. Search your heart. Let hope give you light even in the darkest of places. Let love guide you._ Blue had told her in an oddly monotonic tone.

Fairies and their stupid prophecies.

She was so lost in thought that she nearly missed the door bursting open.

“Shit,” Leo whispered, immediately glancing down. “He’s here.”

Emma tossed her head over her shoulder. A group of men stood at the doorway, almost as if waiting for someone to challenge them. They dressed in mostly black, except for the one in the center who bore a dark red vest under his leather coat.

Bingo.

She’d heard stories of him, they all had, which made it strange to see him now in person. It felt almost something out of a fairytale. She hated to admit it, but she was rather disappointed. She somehow expected more from the pirate captain and his crew. They certainly didn’t look all that terrifying.

“We should go,” Leo whispered.

Emma ignored him, fixated on the man in the middle. The Captain carried himself in a certain way that the others did not. She watched him strut across the pub, stopping at one of the empty tables.  


She caught wind that the pirates were in town a couple days ago when she had overheard her parents talking in hushed whispers. Her father worried that Zelena had recruited them. Her mother reminded him that pirates did not take sides, especially the infamous Killian Jones.

“Em…there’s too many of them.”

“It’s nothing I can’t handle.”

Leo looked skeptical. “How do you plan on getting him alone?”

Emma raised her eyebrows at him. "Really?" and she watched her brothers cheeks turn red. He caught the hint.

“I’ll follow closely behind.”

“Not too closely.”

The last thing she needed was for Leo to make a scene in her honor. She reminded him that she was better with a sword than he was anyway. Leo fell back in his chair with a huff.

“Are you sure about this? If Zelena finds out what we are planning…”

Emma had never been so sure about anything in her life. “I’m sure,” she told him confidently. “I’ll meet you in an hour or so back at the tunnels.”

It was now or never.

Emma stood up, ruffled her hair and undid the laces of her bodice just enough to reveal the slightest bit of cleavage. If Killian Jones was looking for a bar wench, then a bar wench he would get. Emma inhaled deeply and then with all the courage she could muster, she waltzed over to his table as confidently as she could feign. She hoped the Captain would find her a little more attractive than the bimbo currently sitting in his lap.

“What are you boys playing?”

Striking blue eyes met her.

Well, damn. She hadn’t expected that.

-x-

“Another week?”

Killian stared in annoyance at the man in front of him, who quite frankly, Killian wasn’t even sure knew the difference between a hammer and a wrench. He was a round fellow with a lazy eye and looked as if he hadn’t bathed in weeks, which was saying a lot coming from him. To make things worse, the man didn’t even budge under his gaze. Everyone always cowered in his presence. Not this guy though. This guy must have had a death wish because no one hustled Killian Jones.

“A week?” Killian repeated, annoyance growing.

“That’s correct.”

“And what do you expected me and my crew to do for another bloody week?”

The man shrugged. Clearly, the man cared little what he did in his free time. This just infuriated him more. Killian took the man by the collar and introduced the man to his sword.

“Four days,” the man sputtered, suddenly changing his mind. Killian gave a sharp tug and the man added, “For the price of two.”

Killian released his hold. He could live with that. “That’s more like it,” he said, stepping away. “My crew will continue to come and go as they please then. Savy?”

It wasn’t exactly a question. The man nodded hastily. Well, perhaps he wasn’t a complete idiot after all.

Killian placed—or rather dropped—the man back on his feet. What he needed now was a beer. Fixing the Jolly Roger had become more aggravating than he had originally anticipated. When they had docked after coming through the portal, he suspected it would take two to three days, four tops to fix. They were currently sitting on day eight. Killian didn’t think he could last much longer in this wretched town.

The Enchanted forest looked different now than what he remembered. Neverland had damaged his sense of time (and memory, for that matter). It was too risky staying here, especially with the young lad onboard. Eventually, the Crocodile might catch wind that the Jolly Roger had docked…and well, that would mean nothing good. Yes, it was better they leave sooner rather than later.

Killian spotted some lights in the distance and heard the familiar sounds that usually accompanied a pub. His crew had visited it every night since their arrival. He supposed another night out certainly couldn’t hurt.

“Captain!”

Killian groaned. “What now Smee?”

He didn’t slow to a halt, focusing on the pub in front of him. Smee had impeccable timing.

“Do you really think it’s a good idea to leave the ship by herself again?”

“She’s not by herself, Smee.”

Honestly, he was surrounded by idiots.

“Do you think the boy can handle the ship by himself if something were to happen?”

Smee was a great right-hand, Killian knew this. However, right this moment the red-faced man was getting on his last nerve. “Ah! Why that’s a great idea, Smee. Thank you for volunteering!”

Smee sputtered, failing to come up with a good argument on why he shouldn’t have to stay behind. Smee eventually gave up and headed back towards the ship.

“She’ll be fixed in no time, Captain.”

“Aye.”

He hoped so. He didn’t know what he’d do without the Jolly. She had sailed through worst storms, he reminded himself. Four more days and then they could set sail. Four more days and they could get back to the task at hand.

Killian waltzed into the pub with some of his men following closely behind. They grabbed the table in the front, nearest to the door—a quick means of escape if necessary.

A girl’s name he could not recall quickly found her way over to him. He recognized her from the night before. He recalled her having an incredibly annoying voice with one of those fake, high-pitched laughs. She was pretty in the very least and looking for a good time. Despite the voice, he would happily oblige her calling. It was not like they had to do much talking anyway.

He smirked.

Time for dalliances would come later. Now he needed a drink.

Naturally, one turned into two, which turned into three. He lost count after that. They took up a game of dice, mostly because Simons boasted he could beat anyone, including the Captain (Simons lost, mind you). By their third round Killian could feel the effects of the liquor settling in and knew he’d most likely regret it in the morning. Now, in his current state of bliss, he didn’t seem to mind in the slightest.

“What are you boys playing?”

He glanced up. Striking green eyes met his.

Well, damn. He hadn’t expected that tonight.

-x-

When Emma would look back on this night, she would recall many things she had not expected from the pirate captain.

For starters, she hadn't expected the blue eyes or the long lashes. Let’s not forget the accent. She certainly hadn’t expected the accent. It rolled off the tip of his tongue like music to her ears and she realized instantly why several girls had fawned over him earlier. His eyes were not black, like coal, as she expected them to be, but blue. A striking blue, almost the color of the ocean.

When she looked into them, it felt as if she was looking into a mirror. She recognized the look of someone with a past, someone with a dark secret.

She also didn’t expect to have a good time. Laughing even. Gods above. She had laughed with Killian fucking Jones.

“What are you boys playing?”

From the way he looked at her, she swore he planned to dismiss her. He just stared at her, almost as if she had knocked the wind out of him. But he eventually found his voice and gestured for her to sit across the table. The dark-haired bimbo who had been sitting in his lap shot her a glare. The more the girl attempted to pull his attention back, the more he seemed to ignore her. Only when Emma actually ended up winning the first hand, did he send the girl packing.

She caught the word ‘whore’ fall from the girl’s lips.

Oh, if she only knew.

Emma didn’t comment on it, only turned back to the man before her. He was handsome; she couldn’t deny it. She always imagined pirates looking a little more…rugged, which Killian certainly was not. In fact, he was acting more like a gentleman than anything else. It was uncanny actually, even if she knew all he wanted was a nightcap.

“I have a confession to make,” she said sometime later.

She lost count of the minutes that had passed. His men had left them some time ago and now that it was just the two of them, his charm seemed to have intensified twofold.

“Most woman do,” he told her.

He scooted slightly closer to her. She could feel the heat radiating off him. It made her blush. She couldn’t remember the last time a man had sat so close to her, especially in public.

For a moment, her confidence waived. Holding the title of Princess wasn't all that it was cracked up to be. Flirting with men was awfully difficult because of it. She never knew if they were after her money, crown or kingdom. Truthfully, she just avoided them almost entirely.

She laughed inwardly. Oh, if the famous Captain Hook only knew he was flirting with the Princess of Misthaven. Surely, he’d spoil her plan before she even have the chance to tell him.

She felt his hand on her knee, breaking her thoughts.

“What are you thinking, love?”

_Love._

She liked the way he said it.

Like he cared.

_Love._

As if he meant it.

He was good at that, she thought. Lying. But then again, perhaps he really did mean it...meant it until the next barmaid rushed to his side.

Pirate, after all. She didn’t blame him for it.

She caught Leo’s eye from across the room. She wasn’t sure if she’d ever seen him so angry before. She turned back to Killian, trying to push Leo from her mind.

“I want to know how you got the scar,” she told him softly, yet boldly reached out to brush the faintest of scars on his cheek. “You hear so many stories.”

Killian slid closer to her still, until their knees were touching. “So you know who I am and you haven’t even told me your name.”

Since her birth, Emma had become quite the popular name. There would be no harm in telling him. But tonight she didn’t want to be Emma. It was fun, really. Pretending to be someone else for once. She imagined herself as barmaid, free to fall in love with whomever she pleased. She imagined that the kingdom wasn’t on the cusp of war or that fixing it didn’t rest on her shoulders. She imagined what it would be like to go back with him and give him the nightcap he wanted.

Her cheeks tinted red at the thought. If he noticed, he didn’t comment on it.

“What fun would that be?” she asked, pouring them both another shot of rum.

“Just two ships passing in the night then?”

Unfortunately, yes. Tomorrow she’d have to return to her bleak, royal life and he could go back to plundering villages or whatever it was that pirates did. She caught the annoyance in his voice and knew she needed to act soon or else he’d find another bar wench to take home.

“Passing closely I hope.”

She leaned into him and went in for the kill. She gave him a coy smile and gently ran her hand up his knee. He smiled back and ran a thumb over the palm of her hand, making her feel things she shouldn’t.

“Speaking of ships. What do you say we leave this place and I’ll show you mine?” he asked.

She bit her lip.

It was now or never. She placed her hand in his and let him pull her out the door.

-x-

Emma stepped into Killian’s cabin first. He stood at the doorway, blocking her only way out—a power move, she recognized immediately. She watched her father do it countless number of times. She smirked, recognizing that Killian was much softer around the edges than his reputation gave him credit for, and if she requested to leave, she knew he would step aside at once.

She had a few power moves of her own though. She walked around the cabin, not giving him the time of day. She could feel his eyes on her, heavy with lust. She did her best to ignore those eyes and the pounding in her heart.

She chose to focus on the bookshelf that took up the one side of the small cabin. She traced her fingertips over the novels, some of which she recognized, others she had never even heard of. She’d heard plenty of tales about the infamous Killian Jones—the pirate who showed no mercy, the pirate who traveled many realms. In all those stories, she never would have pegged him as a reader. It made him more human.

“Find anything you like, love?”

She startled slightly, surprised to find him standing so close to her. She hadn’t heard him move. When she turned, she caught his blue eyes again and her heart fluttered in her chest. She knew she had to ruin their fun, tell him about her plan, but she couldn’t seem to find the words.

He mistook her silence for something else. “I hope you’re not having second thoughts?” he whispered, bringing his hand up to her cheek. He caressed it lightly, pushing her hair out of her face in a surprisingly affection gesture.

Perhaps it had something to do with his accent or his incredibly blue eyes and long lashes. Perhaps it had something to do with an act of defiance, knowing she would never have the opportunity to do something like this again. But she wanted to kiss him.

She didn’t dwell on it for very long, having made up her mind the moment the thought crossed it. She grabbed the lapels of his jacket and kissed him. Really kissed him. Nothing like those small, innocent kisses lords and princes had bestowed on her over the years.

No. Nothing like those kisses.

This kiss was _real_. This kiss jolted her sense, made her feel alive and stirred things up inside her she definitely knew she shouldn’t be feeling.

She sensed his surprise when she caught his gasp in her mouth. It took him a moment to respond and when he did, he certainly didn’t disappoint.

He pushed her back into the desk behind them, thank gods too, because she needed something to keep her standing. She clutched at him, hoping the desperation in her heart would not subside because she was quite certain nobody would kiss her like this again. She could taste the rum on his lips and smell the familiar scent of sea on his coat. The senses were overwhelming and for one startling moment, she found herself actually enjoying it. Oh gods, the thing he was doing with his tongue on her neck right now was making it very difficult to think of anything else.

She would blame it on the alcohol tomorrow despite knowing alcohol had nothing to do with this.

“Gods, you’re beautiful,” he gasped huskily in her ear and she felt heat pool between her legs.

He captured her lips again and she groaned slightly at his possessiveness. That only seemed to fuel his desire. His kisses were hot and demanding and she accepted them, wanting them almost as much as he did.

Then he pulled away to look at her.

Her sense of reality came crashing back down the moment he did. Stupid. So utterly stupid. She didn’t sneak out of the castle to have a nightcap with a pirate.

_Gods, why did he have to pull away?_

“My apologies, a woman as beautiful as yourself deserves my full and prompt attention.”

If he noticed her sudden change in mood, he did not comment on it. Rather, he dove right back in. However, she had very little time to process what happened next. She caught a blur of something behind him and then a flash of blonde hair.

WHAM!

Next thing she knew, her suitor was moaning on the floor, cradling his head in the palm of his hand while she was left standing face to face with her brother.

“Bloody hell,” Killian groaned.

It shouldn’t have surprised her to find Leo standing in front of her, out of breath, eyes wide, and holding a candle stick. When she was sure Leo hadn't killed him, Emma smacked him on the shoulder

“Are you kidding me!?” Emma shouted at him. “Honestly, Leo. I was handling it.”

Leo shot her a dark look. “Yeah. Certainly seems that way.”

Emma felt her cheeks grow warm. He had no right telling her what she could and could not do.

Killian heaved himself up, cursing quite loudly as he did so.

Leo took a defensive position, holding his hands up in the air in a meek attempt to defend himself. She rolled her eyes, knowing Killian could easily take her brother out if he wished too. However, there was no need because she would have strangled Leo herself if she hadn't needed him so damn much. She crossed her arms, choosing to turn back to Killian instead. She’d deal with Leo later.

Emma pushed her way between the two before they could cause any more damage to each other.

Killian's eyes were no longer blue, but dark and vengeful.

“Don’t hurt him,” Emma pleaded. “He’s my brother.”

She hadn’t actually expected this to matter to him, but something flashed across his face. Before she could place it, his features turned cold once again. “We have a proposition for you,” Emma added quickly.

-x-

Killian could count on one hand how many people had bested him.

He especially didn’t like adding notches to that list either. It unnerved him. He was a Pirate Captain after all. No one hustled him and lived to tell the tale, and yet here he was, having fallen for a bloody sphinx.

He quickly recalled the events leading up to the girl’s arrival, wondering how she had done it.

_“What are you boys playing?”_

She had picked him out of the crowd. She wanted something from him, clearly, but what? He stared coldly at her. The lust he had felt for her only a moment before, now gone. Vanished, as if he’d suddenly woken up and saw things clearly for the first time. She stood between him and the boy almost defiantly as if it was her job to protect him.

Brother, she said?

He recalled Liam defending his honor once or twice in a similar manner. They certainly looked alike with their blonde hair and wide, hopeful eyes.

_“I want to know how you got the scar. You hear so many stories.”_

He felt the storm brewing up inside him, the familiar urge to snap, to hurt something, anything. And it wasn’t directed at her. No. She had bested him. In some strange way, he respected it. He had to give her credit. He had fallen for her trap, for her, and he hated himself for it. He could not remember the last time a girl had smitten him like that.

Not since Milah.

He wanted them gone.

“Get the bloody hell out of my cabin,” he snapped.

She recoiled slightly, the first ounce of fear she had shown him all night. Still, she did not back down.

“We aren’t leaving until you hear us out,” the boy said behind her.

“Leo, for Gods sake, shut up!”

Definitely siblings, Killian thought bitterly. A memory of Liam and him bickering flashed across his mind. He pushed it aside.

“And why should I listen?” he asked, his hatred loud and clear.

“Because you may know us better as the Prince and Princess of Misthaven.”

Well. He hadn’t expected that.

He nearly called them on their bluff but something held him back. He took another glance at them, searching for any trace of a lie. He’d never actually met the King and Queen. He heard plenty of stories though. Honestly, the people of the Enchanted Forest wouldn’t shut up about them.

He ran his hand over his beard, taking them both in. They definitely weren’t commoners. He knew that. It was painstakingly obvious to him now and he wondered how he hadn’t seen it before. They were too put together, too neat around the edges.

“Well then. I believe an introduction is in order.” He grinned widely and gave a low, mocking bow. “Captain Killian Jones at your service.”

“We know who you are,” the boy insisted quite rudely.

Aggravating. Honestly. The child was lucky he belonged to the crown.

The girl rolled her eyes and he smirked, appreciating that she was the one in charge here.

“Princess,” he said addressing her now. He smirked, remembering the way she had moaned against his lips. It occurred to him then that he still didn’t actually know her name. He attempted to recall it. Emily or Emilia?

“We need your help,” she said before he could ask.

Killian did not just help people for the sake of helping people. Fools. The both of them.

Killian pinched the bridge of his nose. He was curious all the same. Their offer would be entertaining in the very least. He decided to hear them out.

“As you might have heard, I’m engaged,” the Princess said.

Ah, yes. He heard a rumor while in town. Hadn’t cared for it at the time.

“And you want me to what… take him out?”

He had absolutely no intention of taking their deal. He was not stupid and had no plans of killing her betrothed so she could run off and marry whoever she pleased.

“We don’t want him dead. That would only make things worse,” the girl said. “We were thinking something along the lines of a ransom.”

He perked up, curious now.

“You’ll get the entire demand,” she continued on, leaving the boy behind her sputtering. They clearly had not discussed that part of the deal.

Their offer was tempting he had to admit. He liked gold. His crew liked gold. Lots of gold. Still, he didn’t entirely trust them either. It certainly felt like a trap if he could smell one. He wanted to know for certain they were playing him for a fool, so he called them out on it.

“How do I know that you won’t play me for a fool?” she challenged backed.

Ah. He liked her, he couldn’t deny it, even if she already had bested him.

He thought about it for a moment, wondering the feasibility of it all. He didn’t exactly expect this fiancé of hers to walk onboard his ship willingly and he wouldn’t put any of his men at risk for this charade of theirs. This would take planning. It would take time. Time he didn’t have. Time that would distract him from getting to Arendelle.

Still, he couldn’t help but ask, “And do you have a preference on when I take this fellow of yours hostage? Or how for that matter?”

The girl and boy exchanged a knowing look, a look that didn’t sit well with him.

“Oh. I’m afraid you won’t be taking Walsh hostage.”

Killian raised an eyebrow, confused. “Who then?”

“Me,” the Princess said matter-of-factly, sealing her fate with a pop.


	2. Be Our Guest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realized I spelt Zelena wrong in the last chapter. *facepalm* I apologize in advance for any mistakes I make. This story is just for fun. 
> 
> Anywho, I hope you enjoy this chapter. I love Leo. I always pictured that Snow and Charming's son would be a little like Fiyero from the musical Wicked.
> 
> Also, apologizes if this ends up getting posted twice. I was having some technical issues.

Leopold—or Leo as he preferred (he hated Leopold)—had lived a rather charming life, no pun intended. One would think nothing else from the son of Prince Charming and Snow White, after all. Other than making an occasional public appearance here and there, he had utterly no responsibilities. He enjoyed most activities that one would expect from a prince: archery, horseback riding, eating, going to parties, courting princesses. He hated small talk, politics, council meetings, and dress fittings though.

But that’s where Emma came in.

He loved his dear sister very much, even when she was driving him up a wall or yelling at him for no good reason at all (which seemed to be all the time mind you). He owed her a lot; he couldn’t deny that. One day she would inherit the crown and he would become a lord and live out a perfectly happily ever after, carefree life.

Well, until Zelena came swooping in and ruining his future that is.

With her stupid flying monkeys and her damn son (who looked nothing like her by the way. Leo wondered if the man was even her son at all). It seemed like a lifetime ago that he had met the bastard, when in reality it had only been two weeks prior.

What a jolly good fun that had been.

Leo recalled a lot of yelling, poor offers and fake smiles.

His parents had invited Zelena to negotiate terms. Boy, did Zelena throw down a royal flush with the engagement offer. It made sense. They would both get what they wanted and they wouldn’t have to go to war. His parents disagreed, so much so that the vein in his father’s forehead nearly popped out.

In the midst of all that fighting, while Zelena threatened to burn the entire kingdom down, Emma quietly accepted Walsh's proposal, thus saving their kingdom from impending doom. As much as he did not want to go to war (he really didn’t. Blood made him queasy), he couldn’t stand by and let his sister marry that bastard.

So naturally, he agreed to help her when she came to him with the maddest plan he had ever heard of.

“You can’t be serious?” he had stuttered.

His sister had been serious. Completely.

He worried briefly that she had lost her mind. He examined her head, looking for any sign that Walsh had hit her because surely anyone in their right mind would not willingly seek out the attention of pirates.

He couldn’t exactly recall ever officially agreeing to this mad plan of hers, though he always had a hard time saying no to her.

Of course, maybe he would have disputed her plan a little harder had he known exactly what pirate she planned on seeking out. You can imagine his surprise when she told him the night of that she planned on asking none other than Captain Killian Jones himself for help.

His sister really had lost her mind it turned out. He didn’t exactly see how Captain Jones was any better than Walsh. In fact, Leo couldn’t help but worry that the pirate was even worse. The man was on their father’s most wanted list for heavens sake.

She insisted the plan would work all the same. Emma apparently heard rumors of an ice queen located in Arendelle. Emma had convinced herself that this ice queen’s magic would help them defeat the Wicked Witch of the West. She just needed to meet the queen without Zelena's awareness.

He supposed it made sense. Still, he didn’t have to like it.

Naturally, Emma got her way. She always did, even when she was completely off her rocker.

Their meeting with the pirate went as well as could be expected, though he did not appreciate how Emma had convinced the pirate, recalling the way he found the two of them together. He pushed the thought from his mind, wanting nothing to do with the memory.

They were eating breakfast now in the dining room with mother and father, all looking worse for wear, despite the fact Zelena and Walsh were nowhere in sight. He eyed his sister from across the table, silently begging her to look at him. She had outright refused to talk to him since returning to the castle and she was driving him mad.

She was infuriating sometimes.

“Emma, are you alright?” he heard his mother ask. “You don’t look well.”

Yes, probably because she asked a pirate to hold her for ransom last night. Otherwise, she’s just peachy, mother.

“I’m fine. Just tired.”

He coughed meekly at her lie. He kicked Emma under the table, which earned him a kick right back. Their mother—completely obliviously—only frowned, unsure what to do.

Leo took that as his queue to lighten the mood.

“You know,” he said abruptly. “If Zelena is Regina’s sister, that makes her our step-Aunt, correct? That would therefore make Walsh our step-cousin.”

No one seemed to appreciate his light attempt at humor. He thought it was incredibly funny. Not to mention wrong. How could they let Emma marry their step-cousin?

“Leo,” came his father’s warning tone. “Now is not the time.”

He sounded like mother. Really, he was just trying to help.

He caught Emma’s sly smile all the same. It made him feel better knowing he made someone feel a little better. 

“I think I’m going to go lie down. I don’t feel good,” Emma said.

“Emma if this is about –”

“Mom, it’s not about Walsh.”

Leo watched his mother’s face fall. It was incredibly difficult keeping a secret that would undoubtedly break their parents‘ hearts. But no one could know about the plan. Emma insisted upon it. She said their parents’ reactions had to be genuine. But that wasn’t even the kicker.

Wait for it.

She wanted Walsh to see the ransom take place.

Emma said they needed an eye witness, other than himself because Zelena wouldn’t just take anyone’s word on it.

Leo didn’t see how the pirate would be able to take her hostage without anyone putting up a fight. But as always, Emma planned the whole thing down to a T. Her timing was impeccable sometimes.

She explained to him that Killian would take her hostage out at sea.

You see, about once a month, their Kingdom often negotiated trades with the surrounding castles in the Enchanted Forest. This month, they just so happened to be trading with their mother's longtime friend Ariel. His sister and he often tagged along for this journey. (And no, it had nothing to do with their daughter Melody who was about the same age as him).

Naturally, Zelena did not trust them. The witch assumed they had every intention to flee the kingdom and not return. Emma causally suggested Walsh come with them to see how they conducted trade. If he planned on marrying her, Emma said, then he would need to work on his relationships with the other lords.

Leo thought it would be better for them to run.

Pirates. Stupid. She was going to get herself killed.

“You don’t have to go,” came their father’s voice. “We can send Lancelot instead this time. Ariel and Eric will understand.”

“Leo will be with me,” Emma said. She stood abruptly, leaving no room for argument. “Everything will go according to plan. I’m not concerned and I’m not changing my life simply because Walsh doesn’t like it.”

Leo eyed her skeptically, wondering if she’d lost her damn mind. Certainly nothing would go according to plan if Killian went through with his side of their deal.

Leo paused, thoughtful.

Well.

He supposed this was the _new_ plan.

Sigh, if only he could tell their parents.

Needless to say, he was not looking forward to the next couple of days.

-x- 

Emma always felt at home at sea. She enjoyed the sway of the ship, singing beneath her feet. The smell of fresh air eased her mind, and the wind in her hair made her feel very much alive. Out on deck, she didn’t feel confined to the rules and regulations of the castle. She could (almost) do whatever she wanted and say whatever crossed her mind.

She didn’t understand why everyone seemed so happy living a royal life. She supposed she understood the appeal of it all with the fancy balls, fame, and wealth. But most failed to see the fakeness it held too. There were too many rules to obey, no privacy and too many expectations to live up to. People never saw her for who she really was, only what they thought she should be.

She hated it, all of it. It was suffocating.

Emma leaned against the railing of the ship, basking in the sun. She had long since changed out of her dress and into more suitable sailing attire: pants and loose fitted shirt.

She kept her eyes focused on the line where the sky met the sea, wondering if Killian would actually see through with her plan.

He will come.

Walsh stood at the far end of the ship, looking quite ill. Emma smirked, finding a small amount of comfort knowing this. Honestly, Walsh was somewhat of an asshole. While kind to her, he was arrogant and rude to those around him, which spoke volumes. She suspected that as soon as they were married, Walsh would drop the act.

“We could push him overboard,” came her brother’s voice from behind her.

She chuckled. It was tempting she had to admit.

Leo too shifted his gaze out to the horizon. It was just them out at sea, not another ship in sight. Her brother let out a deep sigh and she knew he was thinking the same thing. _He wasn’t coming._

Leo dropped his voice to a whisper. “If he doesn’t come, or hell, even if he does come, you know dad and mom could find another way.”

Emma shook her head. Her brother, like their mother, was almost entirely too hopeful. “There is no other way. Zelena has magic. She would win a war, Leo. You and I both know that. This…this marriage could fix things.”

“You’ll be a slave,” Leo shot back. His voice was sharp, something she wasn’t accustomed to. She wondered if he meant to Walsh or to Killian.

“A small price I’m willing to bear.”

“Ems—” her brother began, but stopped abruptly when someone cleared their voice behind them.

They stopped talking at once at the sight of Walsh, who looked extremely irritated.

“Alright Walsh?” Leo asked. “Looking rather green there.”

Emma smacked his arm.

“How much longer?” Walsh asked with a huff.

“We should be there by nightfall,” Emma told him.

Walsh frowned, clearly not liking her answer very much. “I’ve forgotten how confining a ship can be at times.”

Emma didn’t know what to say to that, so she said nothing at all.

“Princess,” he said addressing her and only her. “A word?” his eyes flickered to her brother. “Alone,” he added.

She shared a look with Leo. Walsh wanting to talk to her alone could mean nothing good. She could count on one hand how many times she’d been alone with him. For the most part, he seemed to want nothing to do with her.  
“Anything you have to say in front of Emma can be said in front of me.”

“Leo, its fine.”

She stepped around her brother and gestured for Walsh to follow her. She took him to her sleeping quarters. He didn’t say anything at first. He simply walked around her cabin, taking it all in with a look of distaste. She nearly rolled her eyes. The man was infuriating. Why join them on their journey if he hated the sea so much?

The silence was driving her mad.

“It takes some getting use to. The sea that is,” she settled with instead, holding her tongue. She could have said a thousand snarky things, but thought better of it. If her planned failed, she would be the one who had to suffer with the bastard. It was better to keep things friendly.

“I’m fine,” he told her coarsely.

She chose not to bite the bait. “You should get some rest. We have a few hours before we dock and I know how exhausting ships can be at times.”

Walsh finally turned to face her, his eyes dark. “Exhausting as sneaking out in the middle of the night?”

Emma froze. He couldn’t possibly know about their plan. They had been careful, took every precaution. Still, she wouldn’t play dumb either.

“You have someone following me now?” she snapped. Welp. So much for playing nice guy.

“Just tell me where you’re going every night, Emma? With whom?”

It occurred to her that Walsh was referring to her nightly walks around the castle grounds. She hadn’t been sleeping lately, plagued by nightmares of Wicked Witches and flying monkeys. She found evening walks a comforting way to ease her mind.

Walsh took a step closer to her. She could feel his breath on her cheek. He spoke in a strangely, calm voice. “You will never behave like that again, Emma. You understand me?”

Ah. So he wasn’t so concerned about the sneaking out, rather he just wanted to ensure that his future wife behaved like the good, abiding wife that she was. God forbid a scandal to ruin his precious reputation. She should have left it at that, let him wallow in self-pity. He wasn’t worth her time, but something inside her snapped.

“I’m not a solider in one of your armies that you can command. I am your fiancé.”

Emma felt the back of his hand and the sting on her cheek before she could even react. She froze, unable to comprehend what had just happened. She brought her hand up in disbelief, shocked. No one had hit her before and the action nearly seemed incomprehensible to her.

“Fiancé? _Fiancé?_ ” he shouted, his voice rising.

If she had pulled herself back together faster, she would have slapped him right back. However, everything happened so fast and before she gathered her senses, Walsh had her backed against the wall with his hands around her neck.

“Yes you are and my wife! My wife in practice if not by law, so you will honor me. You will honor me the way a wife is required to honor her husband. I will not be made out of a fool, Emma.”

He released his hold on her and Emma fell back against the wall gasping for air. Emma was many things but a damsel in distress was certainly not one of them. She was stronger than this, braver and she would not let some bastard question this. She rushed at him, shoved him so hard that he stumbled into the desk behind him.

“You son of bitch. If you ever lay a hand on me again I will personally escort you to hell myself.”

Walsh very much looked as if he wanted to hit her again and probably would have too, if the door hadn’t thrown open at that precise moment. 

Leo.

Emma turned her head away from him, unable to look him in the eye. She didn’t want him to see the red mark surely forming on her cheek. The last thing she needed was for Leo defending her honor.

“Is everything alright in here?” Leo asked. Whatever he had barged in there for seemed to have slipped his mind.

“What is it?” Walsh snapped.

“I’m not asking you,” Leo snapped back.

“I’m fine, Leo. You can go,” she said quickly before Walsh could take his anger out on her brother.

This was her fight to deal with. Not his.

Leo shook his head, seemingly remembering why he had barged in there in the first place. “It’s just…someone is following us. It looks like pirates.”

“Pirates?” Walsh spat. “But this is the fastest ship in the Enchanted Forest. No one can catch us.”

“You can tell them that after they’ve caught up with us,” she told him.

Then finally she turned to meet her brother’s gaze. Before Leo could comment about her appearance, she made her away above deck.

-x-

Killian stood at the bow of the ship, eyeglass in hand. He didn’t make deals with princesses or princes, and he especially didn’t make deals with any heroes. Yet here he was, scheming with the children of Prince Charming and Snow White.

He couldn’t honestly tell you why he’d agreed to this barbaric plan of theirs. The amount of gold they would receive for the princess’s ransom was enough to convince the rest of his crew. In fact, the sum was so high they hadn’t even questioned why a princess would pay them to take her hostage in the first place.

Well, all but one that is.

“Are you sure about this, Captain?” the young lad asked for what seemed like the thousandth time.

No, he was not sure, but the Princess just so happened to need an escort to Arendelle, which just so happened to be his next port of destination.

It was particular, he couldn’t deny it. He didn’t like coincidences and he definitely didn’t believe in fate, but when the princess said she’d also pay him to take her to Arendelle in addition to the ransom, well, he didn’t know exactly what to think.

So he agreed to this plan of hers and not because of her striking green eyes or the strange pull she had over him, but because it was convenient and why not make a little extra money if he planned on journeying there anyway.

He needed a dagger and she needed…well, he didn’t really know exactly what she needed in Arendelle and he didn’t ask.

Her business, he told himself.

 _“Emma,”_ she had whispered to him last night, on her way out the door. _“My name is Emma.”_

Emma.

He nearly spoke it out loud, just to see how it rolled off his tongue, but then he remembered he wasn't alone.

“Captain?” the kid asked again, breaking his thoughts.

Bloody Hell.

He glanced at the boy, no more than twelve now. While they had only returned from Neverland a month prior, the boy had aged considerable. He knew the lad was worried about this side task, fearing Killian would end up falling back on his promise. But Killian wanted the dagger nearly as much as the lad did, if not more so. However, Killian strongly suspected they had different agendas for obtaining the it.

“It’ll be fine, Baelfire.”

The boy let out a frustrated sigh.

“I promise you we will be setting out for Arendelle shortly. This is just a quick stop along the way.”

“You promised,” Bae reminded him.

“Aye,” that I did.

He nearly lost the child to Pan in Neverland after he’d let the emotions get the best of him. Wracked with guilt, he managed to track down the child with the help of a fairy. He made appends with the boy by promising him to obtain the Dark One’s dagger. At first, Bae didn’t believe him. He figured it was another lie from the pirate who’d stolen away his mother’s heart.

It wasn’t a lie though.

The fairy had told him an Ice Queen in Arendelle had come across it. When he asked how this witch came about this dagger, the fairy just spoke in riddles, stating he would find what he sought after in Arendelle.

Bloody hell. Whatever that meant.

But it convinced Bae enough to earn his forgiveness. Together they took Pan’s shadow and flew back to the Enchanted Forest.

Killian paused to take one more look at the ship in front of them. They were getting closer now, close enough that he didn’t need a spyglass to see how many men were onboard. He spotted six, maybe seven men on deck. He’d dealt with more men alone.

Still, he couldn’t take any chances. “I want you to stay onboard the ship, lad.”

“But-”

Killian held up his hand, no room for argument. He choose to ignore the dramatic eye roll. _Teenagers._

It didn’t take long for the Jolly Roger to catch up to their naval ship. Emma’s ship was fast, but not as fast as the Jolly. No ship was. Emma promised that none of his men would come to harm in this charade of theirs. When he asked about cannons and weapons, she simply smiled at him, as if she knew something he didn’t.

“Don’t worry about that,” she told him.

They pulled the Jolly close enough to make a bridge between the two ships. Killian and six of his men strolled down the plank and onto the Princess's ship. He walked around their deck, inspecting their surroundings. He had counted correctly before. A group of men, no more than six, gathered before him.

He saw no sign of the princess or her betrothed for that matter. Not that he expected her to be out and about.

 _“It has to look genuine,”_ she insisted.

If her brother and her were truly the only ones who knew about this arrangement of theirs, then Killian suspected their crew would have hidden them somewhere below deck.

“I wish to speak to the Captain of this ship,” Killian called out, seemingly impatient.

An older man with more the build of a carpenter than a sailor stepped out to great him. He was only slightly shorter than Killian himself. “That would be me. I assure you Captain there is nothing onboard this ship that you seek.”

“Why don’t you let me decide that?”

He gestured to Gibbs, Floki and Doyle to search the ship, while the remainder of his crew remained up on deck. He caught the flash of fear within the captain’s eyes when he gave the order. He gave the man a gentle, yet knowing pat on the shoulder. 

It didn’t take long for his men to return with the princess, prince and another man he did not recognize. He assumed it must have been the princess’s betrothed. He would have fled too if he had to marry that poor unfortunate soul.

The prince and the fiancé fell to their knees. Only Emma remained standing.

He couldn’t help but take her in. The pants and vest suited her, much better than that silly dress she had on the night before. Her striking green eyes met his and that’s when he saw it. Fresh and raw, but still there if you looked close enough. A red mark was beginning to form on her left cheek. He immediately turned towards his men, appalled that they had took her with such force.

However, Floki shook his head. Killian’s eyes narrowed and flickered over to her fiancé, whose head hung low. He stepped up to the sad man. Walter or something he couldn’t quite place.

“When my mother finds out about this –”

Ah. Son of the Wicked Witch of the West. How could he have forgotten.

“I’m shaking in my boots.”

When the Dark One was your sworn enemy, all other foes seemed rather arbitrary.

“She’ll have your head for this!”

“And my dog too?” he mocked. He pressed his cutlass into the man’s neck. He could not remember why the princess hadn’t paid for his death instead. That would have been much easier. “I hope she does. I really hope she hears all about this pilferage.”

“Captain Killian Jones,” Emma mused, displaying not an ounce of fear.

His eyes flickered to hers. He flashed her a smile and a wink. He loved games.

“Ah. So you’ve heard of me,” he said.

He happily recalled their last meeting--her kiss, soft and needing against his lips.

“Whatever you want. You can have it. Just leave us be,” she told him steadily.

Killian stepped away from her fiancé and one step closer to her. Then for show, he tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She only shuddered when she felt his thumb brush across her redden cheek. He had sworn that he wouldn’t hurt a soul, yet he suspected she wouldn’t mind one little exception.

“Ah, but what I want is you, love,” he whispered, seductively and meaning it. He had thought of little else but her. He would have been lying if he said he was solely doing this for the money.

She kept her eyes locked on his the entire time.

Gods, she was beautiful.

He turned back to her crew, waiting for some sort of protest from her fiancé, but the sad man just kept his eyes down.

Finally, her brother stood up. “Take me,” Leo said. “Let her go. My father will give you whatever you want.”

Emma’s façade fell. The siblings had clearly not discussed this part of the plan.

Hook hardly spared him a glance. “I have no need for you.”

Curious, really. Why ransom a princess when you could also ransom off a prince? He’d asked this when they made their deal. Emma said they needed to ensure a witness, mostly because they didn’t trust her fiancé. They also didn’t think their parents would take her fiancé’s word on what happened. He couldn’t comprehend it at the time. What man would lie about his fiancé’s kidnapping? 

Now, Killian understand all too well.

Killian stepped back over to the man in question and placed his sword under his throat again. “And what should I do about you? Walt was it?”

“Walsh.”

“You don’t care if I…borrow her for a little bit do you?” Killian taunted, hoping to pull some sort of reaction out of him. Still, Walsh seemed unfazed.

“Be my guest,” he said with a sneer.

Then the man had the decency to spit right on his shoes. Killian shot out his hand, punching Walsh right in the gut. Walsh gasped and collapsed to the floorboards. He chanced a quick glance at the princess and was proud to see that she bore the slightest resemblance of a smile.

Her captain apparently had other ideas. At least someone had the decency to stand up for her when her fiancé did not. “Please…don’t take her. You can have anything else on the ship. Hell, you can have the ship…just leave the princess be. Please.”

Killian almost felt sorry for the man. If he only knew this whole show was his precious princess’s idea.

“It’s okay, Geppetto,” she told the man calmly. Then to him, she said, “I’ll go with you.” She said this so quietly that he wondered if she even brought the word to life or if he had simply imagined it. “On one condition,” she said a little louder, a little more confident this time.

“I’m afraid you’re in no position to make an offer, love, but I’ll hear you out.”

“I’ll go with you willingly, but you have to let everyone else go. No harm should come to any of them.”

Killian pursed his lips, his head tilted back, seemingly thinking about her offer. “Willingly you say?” he settled with, eyes glancing her up and down suggestively.

She nodded, only hesitating slightly. Killian’s smug grin grew considerably larger.

“Lovely. Shall we be on our way then?”

They tied her brother, Walsh and the rest of the crew to the ship's mast, mostly to give them a head start and so they wouldn’t have a change of heart and attack them from behind. When they were done, Emma fell to her knees next to her brother, placing a hand on each shoulder. “I’ll be okay, Leo.” He was crying now, real tears. “Don’t worry about me. Tell mother and father not to worry. I’ll see them again soon. I promise.”

Funny, she never said goodbye to Walsh. Rather, she just seemed happy to see him off.

-x-

A sharp command and a tilt of his head later, Killian’s crew lowered their weapons and followed him back onto the Jolly Roger. She would have been lying if she said she wasn’t impressed by his ability to commandeer a crowd.

As she stepped onto the gangplank that held the two ships together, she chanced one last look at her brother. He looked so disheartened that it nearly broke her heart.

 _Damnit, Leo!_ This had been their plan! She wanted to shout at him, to shake him. He shouldn't have been this upset.

She felt no sympathy for Walsh. In fact, she was rather thankful when Killian punched her fiancé right in the gut. She took tremendous amount of pride in seeing him in pain.

When they were onboard Killian's ship, he told her to wait in his cabin. She agreed without any objection, needing to get away. Her legs gave out on her the moment she stepped inside. She fell to the ground, gasping in deep breaths. The weight of the day's events rested heavily on her shoulders.

Emma always had a talent for composing herself, but now, out of sight from the others, she was finding it immensely difficult at keeping herself together.

 _Walsh had hit her. Killian went through with the plan. Walsh had hit her. She was to be held 'hostage' on his ship, a pirate ship. Walsh had hit her._

_Walsh had fucking hit her._

Emma touched her cheek and winced. She knew it wasn’t a sight for sore eyes, recalling the way Hook’s pained expression when he graced his thumb across her cheek. For one brief moment, panic seized her. What if she had been wrong about him?

He was a pirate, after all. How could she trust him?

 _She would not cry. She would not cry. She would not cry._

With a deep and resounding breath, Emma managed to curb her anxiety. When she finally managed to stand back up, the door above her opened with a loud bang and Killian himself slid down the ladder into his cabin.

Perfect timing.

He wore the same red vest the night she had first met him, the only color in his entire ensemble. It was annoying, really, how attractive he was. Emma wondered many women had fallen for his good looks.

Pirate, she reminded herself, and yet all she could recall was his lips against hers.

Gods above, it had only been four nights and yet it felt like a lifetime ago.

He walked right on over to her. It took all her strength to hold her ground and not take a step in the other direction. She wasn’t necessarily frightened of him, but she wasn’t not frightened of him either.

However, any self doubts that had overcome her immediately vanished when she felt the coolness of a rag pressed against her cheek. She took the rag from him gratefully. When her fingers brushed against his, she felt her stomach do a summersault. She fought the urge to step away from him again.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

She knew he needn’t ask how she got it; it was written all over her face.

“I’m okay,” she told him, though she didn’t exactly sound entirely convincing either.

“Are you hungry?” he asked her.

She decided then and there that she had been right about him. Still, a part of her almost hated that he was being so damn nice to her. That wasn’t part of their deal. Killian didn’t wait for an answer. He took out an apple, hidden in his coat pocket. He held out his hand, offering it to her. She took it from his hand, inspecting it closely with a frown.

“It’s not poison, I assure you,” he assured her.

“Tell my mother that,” she mumbled. “I actually haven’t had an apple in years.”

She took it from him anyway and bit into it. It was sweet and savory, exactly what she needed. Killian watched her eat it with a curious expression on his face, one she couldn’t quite place. She looked away, feeling a blush creep up her neck. She wasn’t accustomed to feeling so vulnerable.

She blamed it on her swollen cheek.

“I could have simply killed him, you know.”

She honestly wasn’t sure if he was kidding or not. She supposed not. He did have a reputation after all. If he had suggested this about anyone else, she would have blanched. “You really would have done that for me? No questions asked.”

Killian shrugged. They both knew he wouldn’t have agreed to such terms, nor would she have outright hired someone else to do her dirty work.

“Having Wash dead would certainly make my life easier; however, he’s really not the problem. He’s just a puppet.”

“Ah. Yes. Mommy dearest.”

“You really don’t care what happens to the Enchanted Forest. Do you?” It shouldn’t have bothered her as much as it did. He had no attachments there, even if it was a place he had once called home.

“I don’t pick sides,” he replied. “Pirate, love.”

As if he had to remind her.

She almost pointed out that by him helping her, he had very much chosen a side. She thought against telling him this, fearing that maybe he would change his mind after all.

“You are welcomed to stay in my chambers, though there are other beds throughout the ship if you prefer other arrangements.”

She glanced skeptically at the small bed. When she asked Killian to take her hostage, she hadn’t exactly thought about the logistics of her sleeping arrangements. She felt her cheeks go red again, hoping he hadn’t noticed.

He had though, he definitely had because he was looking at her now like he had the first night they met. Lust and he was full of it. Thankfully, he didn’t act on it. She wondered how long it would take to succumb to those blue eyes of his.

“It’ll take a few days to get to Arendelle,” he told her, finally finding his voice. “I’ll send the dove requesting the ransom.”

“Yes. Thank you, Killian.”

Killian shook his head. “I can assure you I am not doing this out of the goodness of my heart. Don’t thank me, Princess.”

And then she surprised him, when she insisted, “Emma. Call me Emma.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always loved the Baelfire storyline in OUAT, so I added him to this fic! Hope you guys don't think it's weird. Maybe it's a little weird but I don't care. Baelfire's pre-teen self is staying haha 
> 
> Anywho, reviews are much appreciated. Hope you guys are all staying healthy =)
> 
> UPDATE: Anyone catch the Titanic reference? All time favorite movie.


	3. Something There

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder that Emma is younger in this story, around twenty or twenty-one. She also doesn't have magic yet and Killian still has both his hands. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

It didn’t take long for Emma to wonder if she’d made a terrible mistake, and it had nothing to do with fear.

It was worse. 

Much worse.

It started shortly after Killian offered to give her a tour of his ship. He did not miss the opportunity to point out that she’d only ever had the pleasure of seeing his sleeping quarters after all.

Cocky bastard.

The blush crept up her neck in spite of herself. 

On this grand tour, Killian spoke about each and every room with the utmost pride and care. He pointed out small details, things she wouldn’t have even thought twice about. The rooms were larger than she thought they would be too, but still small enough that when she turned around to go out the way they came, she found her hand brushing against his.

Something unfamiliar then swept her up. It laid just beneath her her skin. Her fingers prickled with an energy she had never known before. However, the sensation was gone before she could think much of it, having left the moment his hand left hers. 

He took her to the crew’s sleeping quarters next, where she met a man with eyeliner so thick he looked more like a raccoon than anything else. 

Killian smacked him awake. “Oye. Floki, there’s someone I’d like you to meet.”

The man known as Floki rolled off the hammock, stretching deeply as he stood up. He had a nervous tick about him, one that reminded Emma more of a feral animal than anything else.

“Has she met Al yet?” Floki asked with a nervous chuckle, not bothering to introduce himself. His qualities—in what must have struck many as off-putting—Emma found endearing. 

“No not yet.”

“Who’s Al?” Emma asked. 

The two of them shared a knowing look. “Don’t worry, love. You and Al will get along quite nicely I expect.”

She met another man with a crooked nose, named Doyle, and a man who went by Tiny Tim—who was anything but tiny. She lost track of their names after that and she felt incredibly guilty for it. 

Killian’s grand tour ended at the bow of the ship. 

She found herself disappointed that she could no longer see her brother’s ship on the horizon. It made her whole predicament much more real. It was one thing to come up with a plan as insane as hers, but another thing entirely to actually go through with it. 

“You know, I wasn’t sure if you’d actually come,” Emma admitted, not quite knowing why she felt the need to confide in him. 

“Ah, the pirate thing was it?” 

“Nah. More of a most wanted thing.” Emma balked at his confusion. “You can’t possibly tell me you didn’t know you were on my father’s most wanted list?” How could he not haven known? Her father had littered the whole Kingdom with pictures of his face. 

His apparent surprise told her otherwise. He looked awfully proud by this feat, and she slightly regretted telling him.

“My father knew you were docked at port and choose to let you go. He would have arrested you had we not been dealing with all this nonsense from Zelena.”

“Oh I fear you are mistaken, love. Your father would not have arrested me. I am uncatchable.”

His self confidence was amusing. “You think awfully high of yourself. Don’t you?”

“When you’ve lived as long as I have, you learn a few tricks along the way.”

“And how long is that exactly?”

“Three hundred years…give or take.” He said this causally, as if it was completely normal to have lived for more than three lifetimes. 

“Three hundred years,” Emma sputtered. Neverland was a myth, a bed time story. “You can’t possible be suggesting that Neverland is real.”

“Aye,” he said, bearing no trace of a lie. “Neverland is quite real.”

She searched his face for any sign of a lie, but found none. She blinked. “I thought it was nothing more than a dream. I always wanted to go there as a kid,” she admitted.

“Trust me, love. Neverland would make this Wicked Witch of yours look like a dream.”

Emma frowned at that, seriously doubting otherwise. She didn’t see how a child could be scarier than the Wicked Witch of the West. 

Killian left her be after that.

She shouldn’t have trusted him, but there was something about him, something terribly familiar, something she couldn’t quite place. She always had a knack at reading people, yet she wasn’t sure if she could trust her instincts this time. 

Why oh why couldn’t he just be like those nasty rumors she heard her whole life? 

His smile, and those eyes filled her head with doubts. It fucking terrified her. Hardly an hour onboard a pirate ship and she was already melting into a puddle at his feet. 

The night she met Killian there was no denying her attraction to him. She suspected many women had fallen for that smug grin and smoldering gaze of his, and she felt incredibly stupid for even entertaining the idea. She was a princess for heavens sake and he was a pirate. She was fairly certain she’d send her father to an early grave if he even knew half the thoughts currently racing through her head. 

As much as she tried to think of anything else—literally anything else—her mind kept drifting back to the night they first met. His lips, soft and hurried against hers. There was something all-powering in knowing she could pull those sounds from the infamous Captain Killian Jones. She’d hope that this yearning would disappear. However, knowing what it was like just made it so much worse. 

She had gotten a taste of the real Killian Jones the night at the tavern and oh boy, did she want more.

_For Gods sakes, Emma. You don’t even know him._

She courted a few men in the past, though she had never let it grow into something much more than a crush. She had always thought it took time for desire to grow. However, Killian’s very presence made her realize that lust and love were not necessarily mutually exclusive. Her cheeks grew warm thinking about it. Before she had met Killian Jones she never even had a particular strong desire to take a man to her bed.

To persuade herself against those thoughts, she tried focusing on all his bad qualities. 

He thought awfully high of himself for starters. He was a pirate, which really said it all. He was a little arrogant, egotistical and terribly too self-confident around his cohorts. His favorite hobby seemed to be throwing out innuendos left and right. He walked around the ship as if he owned it, which she supposed he did, though she wouldn’t have been surprised if he had stolen it at one point in his 300 years of existence. 

Despite all this, she could also see that he cared for his crew and for his ship. He wore his heart on his sleeve. He cared little what other people thought of him and he was almost loyal to a fault. He….

Emma shook her head. Nope. Wouldn’t go there. 

This was Captain fucking Killian Jones. The pirate that showed no mercy. The pirate that sailed the seven seas, bringing terror wherever he went. Not to mention she had not asked him to take her hostage for dalliances. Her kingdom was at war and all she could think about was having a shag.

“You know, The Captain doesn’t change plans for just anyone,” a voice broke her thoughts.

Emma startled, realizing she had been caught staring. She startled even more when she realized the voice belonged to a woman. The girl’s short hair and lack of height made her look much younger than Emma suspected she probably was. 

“Alice,” the girl introduced herself. “It’s about time we've had another woman onboard this ship.”

Emma snapped herself out of her stupor, realizing she had probably been staring a tad too long. She thought she was the only woman onboard. It took her a moment to realize this was probably the 'Al' Killian had mentioned earlier. “Likewise.”

It felt incredibly foolish and uncalled for when her next emotion was one of jealousy. As if the girl could read her thoughts, Alice pointed to the man she met in the sleeping quarters earlier. 

“That one over there is mine.”

She shouldn’t have been nearly as relieved as she was. She shook off the feeling, hoping her eyes wouldn’t betray her. “Killian introduced me to him earlier. I can’t thank you all enough for your safe passage.”

The girl’s eyebrows shot up at the mention of Killian’s name, making Emma wonder if she should refer to him as _The Captain_ instead. Alice didn’t call her out on it though. 

“The guys like to remind me that it’s bad luck to have a woman onboard but I have to disagree. If they give you any shit, please feel free to tell them to take it up with me.”

Emma immediately liked this girl who bore more spunk in her pinky finger than Emma did in her whole body. 

“Not everyday the Princess of Misthaven asks a bunch of pirates for a favor,” the girl stated and Emma caught the implication all too clear. 

It’s not that her reasons for seeking out Arendelle were a secret. She just figured the less people who knew, the better. 

“Care to take up that same offer with a Wicked Witch?” She asked, which earned her a cheeky grin. Emma held out her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Alice. Please call me Emma.

“Nice to have you onboard, Emma.”

Emma kept mostly to herself after that. The majority of the crew were too intimated to talk to her and Killian had been at the wheel for quite some time, intently staring at his compass. In fact, she was fairly certain he hadn’t even looked up from it since he parted ways from her.

For the most part, she had been avoiding him, knowing he’d just get under her skin. Still, she found herself inching closer to him, itching for something to do or someone to talk to. Unlike Leo, she much preferred spending her time actually doing something. Emma found it ironic that she was bored on a pirate ship. 

Eventually her boredom outweighed her reluctancy to talk to him. When she approached him, she found him still at the wheel and still staring at his compass so intently that he failed to see her standing right in front of him. She coughed to get his attention, and when he saw her standing there, he quickly slammed it shut as if she caught him doing something he shouldn’t. 

“What is it, Emma?”

Her name on his lips stirred up very dangerous thoughts. She found herself thinking of that night again. She wondered what would have happened if Leo hadn’t barged in when he had. She blushed profusely, suddenly thankful that he hadn’t barged in a moment later.

“Everything alright?” she asked, hoping they hadn’t drifted off course. She really couldn’t afford to lose anytime. 

“Don’t you worry lass.”

His tone was bitter for no reason at all and it was enough to sour any attraction she felt towards him a moment before. She crossed her arms over her chest and took a step back.

She wasn’t quite sure what had put him in a grumpy mood in the little time they’d been apart, and frankly, she didn't care to find out what.

“Well you don’t expect me to just sit here?”

He shrugged, clearly he had been expecting her to do exactly that. She huffed at his ignorance. 

“My apologizes the Jolly Roger isn’t exactly a five star vessel you’re accustomed too. However, I’m sure it’ll suite your needs quite nicely all the same.” 

Okay. Now he was just being rude. Perhaps her instincts had been off earlier. She caught the nervous tick in his jaw. She realized something was bothering him and he was currently projecting his agitation out onto her. 

She narrowed her eyes at him, having none of it. She’d come this far and wouldn’t have him scare her away now. 

“You know. I actually know a thing or two about sailing.”

Whoever thought princesses couldn’t work was beyond her. God forbid she break a precious nail.

He narrowed his eyes as well, perhaps deciding if he should challenge her on it or not. Instead, he asked if she wanted to help out Smittens—the ship’s chef—in the kitchen and she nearly smacked him before she realized he was completely kidding. 

He removed himself from the wheel and took one step closer to her than necessarily. Almost instantly his whole demeanor changed. He seemed almost wistful now, and any sign of anger quickly faded away. He eyed her with a look that she almost considered sinful. 

The same tingle she had felt earlier was back and at full force. She tried to shake it, mistaking it for nothing more than butterflies. 

“I find gender norms a little out of touch this day in age. Wouldn’t you agree, love?”

_Love._

There it was again. Her heart pounded in her chest. And for a moment, their eyes locked. _Blue._ Oh, why did his eyes have to be so blue? 

“Hey, lad,” Killian called out suddenly. He did not break his gaze from hers, and she found herself falling into them. 

Only when a voice spoke from behind them, did he break their spell. 

“Captain!”

Killian took a step away and a wave of relief washed over her. 

A boy no more than thirteen approached them. He stopped abruptly when he saw Emma. “Your majesty!” The boy stood rigid and then saluted her. Then blushing and thinking better of it, he gave her an awkward bow instead.

Killian covered his smirk with his hand. 

“No need for formalities here. Please call me Emma.”

“Yes, your majes…eh. Emma,” he said awkwardly. 

Killian thought of letting the boy flounder a little longer but thought better of it. He placed a hand on the lad’s shoulder, as any father would a son. “This here is Baelfire.”

The lad grinned up at Killian and then blushed when he saw Emma staring at the two of them. Killian knew what she was thinking and quickly interjected before she could make any rash judgements. “I found Bae in Neverland.”

Emma nodded in understanding, though she suspected there was much more to the story. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Bae.”

“Oh trust me, miss. The pleasure is all mine.”

“Lad, the princess insists she can be of service to us. Why don’t you show her how to tend the sails.”

“Aye Aye Captain!”

Emma chuckled at his enthusiasm. She could tell that the boy looked up to Killian a great deal. She caught Killian’s blue eyes again and her heart tumbled insider her chest once more.

Yup. Definitely dangerous. 

It was going to be a long few days.

-x-

Killian watched Emma follow the young lad across the ship. When he was sure she wasn’t looking, he pulled out the compass again. A moment ago it was pointing north. Now it flicked back and forth. He picked up the compass awhile back, having found it in a giant’s lair not long after returning from Neverland. There, a fairy had told him it would lead him to what he wanted most. 

He never suspected the fairy meant this quite literally. 

The compass did not point north. When you held it, it pointed towards what you wanted most in that moment, and right now it was tracking Emma around the Jolly Roger. It took him several hours to even realize that it was no longer pointing towards the direction of the dagger. 

This concerned him only slightly. He didn’t need a compass to get to Arendelle, and also, what man in his right mind wouldn’t want the princess? She was beautiful for starters, and not to mention incredibly clever. He liked her. He wouldn’t deny it; however, his desires ended there.

It was just a flame, he thought. There’d been other women since Milah. Of course there had been. This was the same thing, he told himself, yet the pull on his heartstrings told him otherwise. He ignored it. 

The princess was just a distraction. Nothing more. As soon as he dropped her off in Arendelle, Emma—Princess of Misthaven—would be nothing more to him than another girl he once met, and then he could move on with his life.

Right on queue, he heard her laugh. It swept across the ship and warmed his heart and almost immediately any thoughts of revenge were thrown off the ship. 

Heavens above it was going to be a long journey to Arendelle.

-x-

Things were not going to plan. Not in the slightest. 

For starters, Walsh really could have cared less that Emma had been taken hostage. He cared more that the pirate had assaulted him, and the more Walsh complained about it, the more Leo feared that Walsh would simply lie to Zelena about Emma’s kidnapping altogether.

To top it off, the crew was a wreck. Both literally and figuratively. On their way back to Misthaven, they ran into a storm, which put them incredibly off path. They should have arrived back at the castle a whole day before his parents received the ransom note from Killian. Their only saving grace of their late arrival was hopefully it gave Emma more time to do…well whatever it was she planned on doing.

When Leo did finally arrive home, he found his parents up and arms with none other than the Wicked Witch herself.

“Do you take me as a fool? If this was all some sort of ruse...”

“ _Ruse!?_ You think I’d let a pirate willingly take my daughter?”

The last time Leo had seen his father this angry was when he had tried to jump off the tower with nothing but a bed sheet (it would have worked, if he’d been given the chance). He was seriously beginning to doubt this plan of theirs. Whatever Emma expected to find in Arendelle, he hoped she found it pronto. 

Before he could open the door to the Great Hall, Walsh pushed him aside, strutted boldly into the room, and took a seat at the table as if nothing had gone amidst. 

“Walsh!” Zelena exclaimed when she saw them. Leo honestly couldn’t tell if she was excited to see her son or not.

“Leo!” He suddenly found himself crushed between his parents. How desperately he wanted to tell them that Emma was alright, that this had been her doing all along. 

His dad broke the embrace first. “Where is Emma?” 

Leo looked at the floor. One thing Emma and he had forgotten in all this scheming was that Leo could not lie to save his life. Thankfully, he didn’t have to. 

Walsh shrugged, answering for him. “I do not know. All I know is that your precious princess was taken hostage by some pirate fellow. What a fool. Who does he think he is?” Walsh turned to his mother, whining in a way only a child could. “We must do something. He assaulted his future king.”

Leo knew his father would have smacked Walsh if he could have. Certain positions of power and alliances prevented him from doing just that. However, Leo held no such rank. He had heard enough from this aloof fool, future king or not. 

“ _Pirate fellow?_ You can’t be serious?”

Walsh just blinked, completely serious. 

“That pirate fellow is none other than Captain Killian Jones.”

His mother gasped, and his father went a shade too white.

“Surely, you’ve heard a bedtime story or two about him?” Walsh just stared blankly at him. Leo balked. “He’s only one the most infamous pirates in the history of histories of the Enchanted Kingdom.” Something overcame Leo then. He strutted across the room and poked Walsh squarely in the chest. “And you, twat, seem to care very little about my sister’s well being.”

“How dare you talk to my son that way! Respect your future king.”

For once, Snow did not correct his language. She turned to his father instead. “David. We have to do something. We have to get her back.”

Even Zelena looked a little unnerved by the mention of Killian Jones. Well. At least she had heard of the man. “We cannot pay a ransom to that idiotic pirate,” Zelena snapped. “I will not let him best me a second time.”

_Huh._ Well. He had not been expecting that. “You know Captain Jones?”

Zelena waved him off, clearly not wanting to share her side of the story.

Walsh pressed his lips together, seemingly still confused. “I still don’t understand why everyone is going on about this Jones guy. He didn’t look all that terrifying to me.”

“Yeah. I’d imagine it was difficult to see from your fetal position on the floor.” 

That snapped Walsh right out of his stupor. Leo raised his arms, ready to fight, but his father stepped between them.

“Stop it. Both of you.” His father said sternly. “What matters now is getting Emma back safely. For once I agree with Zelena,” he said, sounding incredibly pained to even admitted this. “I have no intention of paying that ransom. Prepare a ship. We must set sail at once.”

“Wait… _What_ ,” Leo asked aghast. He had not expected that. His father going after his sister and getting himself killed was not part of the plan. “Wait! Surely we must think this through. Lancelot will go get Emma.” 

His parents, clearly did not hear him. 

“I’m coming with you,” his mother said, no room for argument.

Oh for Heavens sake. Now his mother too. Emma would kill him. His parents were suppose to stay back at the castle. They were suppose to pay the ransom and send Lancelot to rescue her.

“Absolutely not. I can’t lose you too.”

“David. If you think for one moment I’m going to sit here while you go out and rescue our daughter without me, then you are a fool. Besides, you need me and you know it.”

David, clearly torn, glanced at Leo. The question was obvious. _What about Leo?_ They couldn’t all leave the castle. Zelena would burn it down in their absence. 

“Lancelot will stay here, and Leo will rule in our absence.”

Leo’s jaw nearly hit the floor. 

Heavens above. He was _second-born_. He was never suppose to rule. He was suppose to sit still, smile, and wave.

Reluctantly, David nodded. “Walsh. You’re coming with us.”

Walsh let out an uneasy laugh. “You can’t possibly be serious.” 

“A son for a son,” David said, eyeing Zelena distrustingly. 

Leo swallowed hard. _This was not going to fucking plan!_ “Lets just pay the ransom. I was there. All he wanted was money,” Leo said frantically. It was a last ditch effort, he knew, but he had to try.

Walsh smirked. “Money. Yeah. Sure. That’s _all_ he wanted.”

If there was ever a time to murder someone for their stupidity, Leo thought then would have been the perfect time. He glanced at Zelena. Surely, she wouldn’t let her son go off with his parents on this suicide mission. But Leo caught the gleam in her eye and knew she had another plan up her sleeve. He just wasn’t sure on what yet.

Zelena nodded, seemingly satisfied. “Walsh, you’ll go with the Charmings and the prince will stay here with me.” Then she turned to his parents. “It’s settled then. Return your precious princess or the engagement is off.”

-x-

The moon sat high in the sky, somehow looking much larger out at sea than back at the castle. It took her breath away and brought a sense of reassurance she didn’t know she needed. She didn’t have a clock on her, but she suspected it must have been well past midnight. Most of the crew had retired beneath the ship.

The Jolly Roger was nothing what she expected it to be if she was being honest. For the most part, the crew avoided her entirely, and the ones that she had spoken to were incredibly kind. 

“Can’t sleep?” came a soft voice from behind her.

“I am not tired,” she lied. 

In truth, she was exhausted. However, she feared what she would find if she closed her eyes .

“What?” Killian asked, catching her staring at him, not that she had been trying to hide it. 

She glanced back at the sea. He stood next to her, closer than would have been morally acceptable back at the palace. 

“You’re not how I imagined. That is all,” she said, choosing to change the subject. 

Killian straightened up, suddenly quite smug. “And how did you imagine me?”

“A mustache and a bad perm,” she joked light-heartedly. She wouldn’t inflate his ego more than necessary. 

Killian winced, not missing a beat. “I take it a perm is a bad thing?”

Emma shrugged. Then honestly, she told him. “I don’t know what I pictured. Someone scarier I suppose.”

Now he looked offended. “I can assure you I can be quite terrifying at times.” 

She didn’t doubt it. Still, she wouldn’t let him win this battle. “I also didn’t expect the infamous Captain Jones to have such a soft side.”

“I do not have soft—”

“Sure. Whatever you say.”

He clutched the railing, his knuckles going white. She reckoned not many people talked to him in this way. The ship swayed then, just enough for her to lose her balance. As she reached for the railing to steady herself, her pinky finger brushed against his. Those blue eyes flickered back to hers, and her heart skipped a beat. 

The heat that formed in the pit of her stomach surprised her. It was...intense for lack of a better word. She’d be lying if she said she didn’t want to kiss him.

However, she had not come for dalliances—no matter how much those blue eyes of his seemed to warm her soul. Emma immediately took a step back.

Killian thankfully let the moment slide. “Alright then, Emma. If you’re so good at reading people, then go on.” He gave a mock bow. 

She rolled her eyes. Her moment of vulnerability suddenly forgotten. She would not back down from his gaze. “You carry yourself differently,” she began. “The others look up to you. You are incredibly loyal. You’d die for them. You let very few people see the real you. You wear a mask, one you call Captain Jones. I, for one, do not believe you are nearly as selfish as you pretend to be—”

“Excuse me,” he cut her off. “There’s no pretense here. I happen to be genuinely selfish and deeply shallow.”

“You’re a good leader,” she went on, ignoring him. “Though it didn’t come completely natural. It was something you learned…something someone taught you when you were younger. You are smart, careful and articulate. Skills that they teach members of the Royal Guard.”

Killian narrowed his eyes at her, studying her for so long she wondered if she had crossed a line.

“You got all that from one look?” He asked after a moment of silence. 

“No,” Emma admitted with a grin. “There was a drawing of you and another man on your desk. You wore the crest on your sleeve.”

It took a moment, but she was pleased to see the corners of his mouth turn upwards. “I have severely underestimated you, Emma. You are clever. I like that.”

Her cheeks grew warm again. Fearing he’d comment on it, she turned her gaze back to the sea and quickly changed the subject. The last thing she needed was him showering her with more innuendos.

She had nothing left to say to that. Only when he took hold of her arm did she dare look at him. 

_Blue._

Damn her, for in that moment she could think of nothing except kissing him. For the briefest of moments, she felt something warm stir inside her. It quivered just beneath her skin, just out of reach. The unfamiliarity of it all nearly knocked her off her feet. And just before she could grasp it, Killian broke the silence.

“You know, reading each other goes both ways. Have you ever been in love?”

Almost immediately, what ever spell that had overcome her was lost. Before she could defend herself, he went on.

“As I thought. You don’t let people in, fearing that they only want to be your friend because of your crown. You have everything you could possibly want in life and yet a part of you remains lost.” He let the words sink. “If you have the right to read me, Emma, then surely I have the right to read you.”

Emma stepped back, cheeks going warm once more, something she couldn’t blame on the wind or alcohol this time. He read her so easily and it was genuinely alarming. 

Killian caught the hint. “We should dock in Arendelle in about three days if the winds keeps up,” he said, saving her the chance to explain herself to him. “There’s something you should know about me, Emma. I don’t make deals.” He took another step towards her. She could feel the heat radiating off him. If he got any closer, he would surely hear her heart pounding in her chest. “I have my own agenda and trust me, it has very little to do with your family’s war. I’ll return you to your precious kingdom all in due time, I can assure you that.”

Emma couldn’t be certain where or when their conversation took a wrong turn. Perhaps she had overstepped earlier. Suddenly annoyed and overwhelmed, she had a strong desire to fix whatever she had broke between them. 

“Killian,” she called as he walked away. He turned back to her. 

_Blue._

“You’re wrong, you know,” she said, somehow finding her voice. “I don’t have everything I could possibly want in life.”

She locked her eyes onto his, challenging him to ask her what she wanted. Her heart pounded so loudly in her chest she wondered if he could hear it from where he stood. His eyes locked on her lips and for a moment, she thought he would close the distance between them. However, much to her disappointment, he took a step further back. 

“Get some rest, Emma,” was all he said before leaving her alone with her thoughts.


	4. Be Prepared

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! Good news is I wrote the next few chapters out. I haven't been this compelled to write in a long time. 
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy this chapter.
> 
> \---
> 
> UPDATE: So an anonymous reviewer pointed out that in this chapter (I guess the first chapter, since it's written there as well) Blue’s prophecy is a quote from the LOTR series. I want to clear the air and state I am NOT trying to pass J.R.R Tolkien's work as my own. He's a legend! LOTR is one of my top favorite films/books. I enjoy pulling themes and characters (i.e. Floki and the convo from Titanic in the second chapter ) from other fandoms into the stories I write. In this case, I thought that quote fit for Emma's light magic. However, I REALLY don't want to upset anyone. If my readers upset, I'm upset (I have trouble letting things go, haha). I reworded it slightly. I do apologize if I've offended anyone.

If Leo had anyway of reaching Emma, he would have written her a strongly worded letter. The weight of the kingdom was never suppose to sit on his shoulders. He was second-born for heavens sake. He was never suppose to have this many responsibilities. His job was literally to show up and look good. But with his parents and sister gone, he suddenly found himself in a very unfortunate predicament. 

His parents and Walsh left nearly at once.

Heavens above. 

Leo only prayed that Emma reached Arendelle before their parents had the chance to catch up to them, knowing they would never let her finish this insane plan of hers. With his family gone, he kept far away from Zelena’s company. He was not entirely convinced she wouldn’t squash him like a bug if given the opportunity. He really didn’t think Walsh going with his parents held any leverage over Zelena. Lancelot evidently didn’t trust the witch either because the man was following him around like a hawk, so much so that Leo wondered if the man ever slept.

As much as Leo feared Zelena, he also appreciated some privacy every now and then. The only time he could shake Lancelot’s company was in the privacy of his own room; however, one could only take being cooped up in a tiny room for so long. What did they expect him to do, after all? _Read_ all day? 

Thankfully, his room had a secret passage—a passage he was almost entirely sure no one knew existed but him. There was no way in hell his parents would have given him the room if they had known. The passage door was tucked away on the inside of his dresser. He found it by chance, years ago while playing hide and seek with his sisters. It led to the kitchen—an ideal spot for someone who was always hungry. 

Now very bored and unable to sleep, he found himself squeezing through the narrow passage. A midnight snack would do him good he thought. 

The passage was much smaller than he remembered it being, and he found himself crouching to avoid smacking his head on several low hanging beams. He just about reached the end of it when a high-pitched laugh caught his attention. He stopped abruptly. From his position in the passage, he could see the faintest bit of light seeping out between the cracks of the wall. He thought he’d imagined the laugh, thinking it couldn’t possibly have belonged to a human. However, the laugh came again.

The crack in the wall was just large enough for him to peek through. To his surprise, the room on the other side was the library. Zelena’s back was to him, though he’d recognize that unfashionable, distasteful hat anywhere.

The laugh came again and this time, a man—no, not quite a man—stepped into view. Leo nearly fell back onto the floor behind him, and he would have too if fear hadn’t kept him rooted in place. Thankfully so because he suspected he wouldn’t live to tell the tale if they caught him spying.

His parents had told him stories of Rumpelstiltskin. There were rumors he could not die. They said his eyes were black like coal, and that you could see his victims staring back at you if you got too close. Rumpelstiltskin, with his scaly green skin and crocodile-like eyes certainly lived up to his reputation. 

But why was he here?

“You shouldn’t have let them go, dearie,” he snapped at Zelena.

“Hush. It’ll be alright. I know what I am doing. My little birds have informed me of their whereabouts. They’ll reach them in no time.”

Rumpelstiltskin did not, however, like to be told what to do. One turn of his hand and Zelena was left gasping for air. “Don’t tell me it’ll be alright when the pirate has my son.”

“You’ll get your son back when I get my crown,” Zelena spat out through heavy gasps. Rumpelstiltskin reluctantly waved his hand and set Zelena free. Zelena fell to her knees, gasping for air. She stood up and reached out her hand. A cloud of purple smoke formed in her palm. Whatever she had conjured brought fear into Rumpelstiltskin’s eyes. Almost at once, the green-scaly creature dropped to his knees before the witch. 

“You forget your place when I have this,” Zelena sneered at him. 

Leo couldn’t move. Fear settled deep inside his bones. He had always thought Rumpelstiltskin was the most terrifying creature to have walked the Enchanted realms. Now, seeming him cower at Zelena’s feet, he realized that her Wickedness far exceeded his imagination. 

“Now stop your babbling,” Zelena continued on. “I have a plan. Do you really think me so foolish?”

“And what would you like me to do, dearie?” Rumpelstiltskin spat out every word. Zelena may have had control over him, but it didn’t mean he put her on a pedestal because of it.

“The Charmings have left to fetch back their precious princess. Once they catch up with the pirate, it’ll be your job to see them all killed.”

Leo had never wanted his mother more. He desperately wanted to run but he could not move. He was terrified. Emma had left the Kingdom to save it, but had they just unknowingly walked right into Zelena’s trap? 

Rumpelstiltskin let out a high-pitched cackle. The creature was silhouetted against the fire. Leo could just barely make out the grin of a mad man. “All you say?”

“Yes. You can seek out your revenge on the stupid pirate if you wish; however I have another proposition, one you may find more to your liking.”

Rumpelstiltskin rose to his feet and gave her an exaggerated bow. “Rumpelstiltskin at your service.” Leo knew he needed to leave, knew he had to warn his family before Zelena reached them, and yet he couldn’t take his eyes off the monster.

“Just a few more questions, dearie,” he asked, although did not wait for her to respond. “And what of the crowned prince? He’s here in the castle is he not. Shall I rid of him too?”

Leo swallowed hard. They were talking about him. They were talking about _killing_ him. 

“Don’t you worry about the prince. I’ll take care of him.” Zelena paced across the floor, her back to the door. “Once the Charmings are all dead and done, the kingdom will need someone to blame for their deaths.”

“Anyone in mind?”

“I think the Captain would do just nicely, don’t you think?”

Rumpelstiltskin eyes lit up as he pieced Zelena’s plan together. Then he threw his head back and clapped his hands together in resounding glee. 

_Shit shit shit shit shit._

The entire Kingdom would want Killian’s head on a spike if they thought he was responsible for his family’s deaths. There’d be no denying it. Captain Killian Jones would be hunted down. They would stone him in the streets for a crime he did not commit. Emma had unknowingly walked right into Zelena’s trap. Zelena had always known she would kill the Charming family, Leo realized. She just didn’t know how until they'd presented her the perfect opportunity to condemn them all to hell. 

Leo fell back from the wall. As quietly as he could, he ran down the passage. He needed to warn his parents. 

-x-

Killian said they would dock in Arendelle in four days if the winds kept up, and they did for the most part. That is, until the third day when the ship came to a crashing halt.

Killian, scratched his head, puzzled. Their sudden stop was odd. The majority of his existence had been spent out at sea and he couldn’t remember a time when the winds had died down so suddenly. In fact, the ocean was so still now it looked as if they could walk across it. 

It didn’t help that it was extremely hot out either. The sun beat down on them, leaving them all a little dehydrated and red face, some more than others. He could see Emma’s concerned written all over her face. He assured her that this was completely normal. They both knew he was lying, but she didn’t call him out on it. 

To change the subject, he insisted that she wore a hat. A few more freckles had broken out on her now sun-kissed face. He thought she’d roll her eyes at him or put up a fight, but she just took the hat he offered her in stride. In fact, she seemed rather amused by the whole thing, and he had to hide his grin with his hand. The whole thing had him wondering if maybe she’d enjoyed this carefree life at sea more than the one she had left behind at the palace. Seeing her in the pirate hat—which suited her nicely—had hist heart twisting into all sorts of pieces. 

Don’t get attached.

These thoughts were foolish, he knew. He should have let them die the moment they entered his mind. It had been a long time since a girl had opened the door to his heart, and he was done pretending otherwise.

But the princess hadn’t just won him over. 

Over the last three days, he watched each member of the crew slowly warm up to her. By the end of the second day, she even had Tiny Tim’s attention—who didn’t take to new people lightly. There was something incredibly charming about her—no pun intended.

She was laying by the ship’s mast with Alice, Floki, and Bae—who must have been telling quite the story from the looks of it. The young lad had the three of them nearly rolling on the floor with laughter. The pang of jealous hit him harder than it should have. 

He turned his attention back to the compass—the compass that did not point North. He sighed. It was still fixated on Emma. He snapped the lid shut, doing his best to push thoughts of the Princess from his mind.

-x-

Emma didn’t know how long the ship remained at a stand still. She tried to not let it bother her. It was nobody’s fault, after all. Killian assured her the sudden change in weather was normal, though his expression didn’t quite match the tone in his voice and she could tell he was lying. She choose not to call him out on it.

Instead, she filled her time talking to Alice, Floki and Bae. There was something incredibly sweet and endearing about the boy. She thought he’d make a girl extremely happy one day. He told her a story of a whimsical land called “London” and a girl named Wendy there. He explained this city in so much detail she honestly wasn’t sure if he had made this whole land without magic up or not. Before she met Killian, she would have thought a portal into another realm did not exist. Now, she honestly wasn’t quite sure what to think. 

Only when the sun began to dip into the afternoon and the winds had still not picked up did she begin to openly worry. She found Killian in the back of the ship, eyeglass in hand. 

She stood in front of him to block his view. “Are you going to tell me what’s really going on yet?”

Killian’s expression soured. “I don’t know,” he said, surprising her with the truth. 

“It’s Zelena,” she whispered. 

“We don’t know that.” 

They both did though. Emma didn’t know anyone else who had the ability to change the weather. 

“We will reach, Arendelle,” Killian told her. “We aren’t far now. Half a day at most.”

Emma looked skeptically out at the horizon. Seeing nothing but sea, she couldn’t help but doubt him. 

“Emma…” Killian tried again, but suddenly, a high shrill pitch pulled their attention upwards.

The sound came from high above them. Even shielding their gaze to block out the sun made it difficult to see exactly what was flying overtop of them. It looked like a bird, though even from this distance Killian knew it was too big to be a bird. 

Another joined, and then another, until the sky was filled with them. They flew in circles, high overhead, similar to the way a hawk stalks its prey. Killian reached for his spy glass. He couldn’t comprehend what he was seeing. Surely he was seeing things because as far as he knew monkeys did not fly. 

“Killian…” Emma whispered. He could hear the fear laced into her voice. 

Before he could tell her to get below deck, one of the creatures let out a battle cry and then it dove. For a moment, his crew stood rooted in place, confused as to what they were actually witnessing. Only when one of the creatures swoop down and picked up Tiny Tim by the collar of his shirt, did they all snap out of their stupor. Killian watched helplessly as the giant beast threw his sailor across the deck as if the man weighed no more than a rag doll.

He had not been mistaken. It was a bloody fucking flying monkey.

One minute they were huddle together and the next they were thrown into utter chaos. Hundreds of monkeys swarmed down onto their ship. He could hear his crew shouting as they desperately scrambled for their weapons, unprepared for the fight. 

He turned back to where Emma had been standing a moment prior, but found the spot empty.

He couldn’t see her, was his first thought. 

He could see Floki and Alice, who were nearest to him and fighting off three flying monkeys in tandem. They blocked each attack, and with little effort on their part, they managed to throw one overboard. Bae was at the far end of the ship with Doyle. Killian was thankful the boy was short enough that the lad would likely not be the monkeys first choice to grab.

A flash of golden hair suddenly ran by him, and he turned.

He was about to call her name when a monkey threw him off his feet. All he could see were stars. He landed on his back and his sword slid across the deck, just out of reach. He threw his hands up to defend himself but he wasn’t quick enough. It took one blow for the monkey’s claws to tear into his skin, and if it wasn't for the adrenaline pumping through his veins, he would have let out an involuntary scream. 

The monkey screeched loudly, right into his ears, and his head suddenly exploded with pain. The noise of the battle around him immediately ceased, only to be replaced with a dull ringing in his ears. Just when he was about to see dots, a spray of blood hit his face and the monkey’s weight collapsed, dead-weight onto the deck next to him. Killian choked as air rushed back into his lungs. 

“Thought you could use a hand,” a familiar voice said. 

If they weren’t being attacked by a hoard of flying monkeys, he swore he would have kissed her right then and there, not caring who saw. It only took one blow from Emma’s sword to pierce the monkey’s heart. He didn’t know where she had gotten the sword and there was no time to ask.

He grabbed his weapon and jumped back to his feet. They were back to back now, swords in hand. 

“You are quite full of surprises, love.” Her heart swelled in pride at the compliment, knowing he didn’t offer them to just anyone. “Who taught you to wield a sword?”

“My father.”

A monkey came screeching at her. Emma swung out her sword. She clipped one of the monkey’s wings and it went tumbling into the ocean.

“You know. I’ve seen a lot of things in my existence but this may take the cake.”

Only he could find the humor in their current state of affairs. Emma supposed he yearned for this sort of thing. “Really? In your three hundred years _this_ is the weirdest thing you’ve ever encountered?”

“The Princess of Misthaven is literally fighting off a hoard of flying monkeys onboard my deck. Yes. I do think this competes for one of the strangest moments of my life.”

Well. When he put it like that, sure. 

They worked together, taking turns swinging and defending. Killian hardly looked like the fight was taking much effort on his part. Emma, to her credit, was an excellent swordswoman. Her father taught her well; however, it wasn’t like she used a sword everyday and she quickly found herself beginning to tire. Killian must have sensed her exhaustion because he began to shout out words of encouragement.

Things like, _“You know. I think you and I make quite the team, Emma,”_ or _“You’d make one hell of a pirate, love.”_

She took a moment to catch her breath, and her hopes immediately deflated when she glanced up towards the sky. The monkeys rained down on them, one after the other. 

They were going to lose. 

They were out numbered. Killian’s crew was fighting to the death and it was her fault. They were going to die because of her.

“Emma!” Killian shouted.

She heard her name too late. A monkey dropped from the sky, flying right towards her. She wasn’t sure if it wanted to kill her or scoop her up and take her back to Zelena. Either way, she didn’t want to wait and find out. 

In the matter of flight or fight, she always pegged herself as a fighter. However, something in the monkey’s glowing red eyes and sharp claws racing towards her sparked a fear that settled deep inside her heart. Out of pure instinct, she dove to the deck. 

The monkey came so close to grabbing her that she felt the wind from it’s wings brush her hair. 

“Emma!” Came Killian’s panicked voice again. 

She quickly scrambled back to her feet but the monkey’s turnaround was much faster. It tackled her back to the deck. It took her a moment to regain her senses. When she came to—and to her horror—the flying beast was towering over her. Before she could back away from it, the monkey pressed its fist into her chest, blocking her airway. She attempted to throw the monkey off her but the creature was too heavy. 

It was killing her, she thought. 

How foolish she was, thinking she could outwit the Wicked Witch of the West. Her plan had failed. Zelena had won. Just like that, and she hadn’t even made it to Arendelle yet. Just when the darkness began to creep in, the monkey was thrown off her, and air immediately rushed back into her lungs.

She scrambled back to her feet, only to see Killian struggling with the same monkey that had intended to kill her.

Anger formed in the pit of her stomach. 

She would not let him die for her. 

She grabbed the sword, ready to kill. Before she could reach him, the monkey grabbed Killian by the lapels of his jacket. It lifted him up, high above the deck. Killian let out a cry that ripped through Emma’s heart. Some of the pirates raced towards the ship’s mast, hoping they could climb to the top to reach him before he fell. Emma knew it was no use. If the monkey let go now, the fall would surely kill him.

Something vaguely familiar to her then began to hum right beneath her skin. It was the same hum she’d felt the other day, the same hum that called to her when Killian’s hand had brushed against hers. Only this time, the hum was louder and so pronounced, she recognized it as something more than butterflies forming in the pit of her stomach. The hum turned into a song. It raged beneath her skin, beating in tandem with her racing heart. 

She knew she had magic. Blue had told her last year that she was the product of true love and therefore possessed light magic—light magic that could defeat Zelena for good. Only, Blue had selfishly kept her in the dark about how to unlock it. 

She tried to unlock it. Of course, she had tried. Asking Killian to take her hostage had never been her first plan, despite what Leo thought. She tried so hard to unlock it that she had beat herself into exhaustion, so much so that she had convinced herself that Blue had been mistaken.

She could feel it now.

Magic. 

It ran through her veins, fluttered when she wiggled her fingers. It was part of her the same way she felt her heart beat inside her chest. This time, she didn’t push the feeling back down. This time, she reached out to it with open arms. When she finally grasped it, it was almost like coming home.

She dropped the sword, feeling the power radiating from the palm of her hands. A while, soft glow began to radiate out of them. 

Blue’s voice suddenly echoed loudly in her ears. 

_If you do not find a way, no one will. Search your heart. Let hope give you light even in the darkest of places. Let love guide you._

In what use to terrify her, now only gave her hope. 

The light grew bright, almost blindingly, until something she could only describe as a shockwave exploded out of her. The light danced across the ocean. It shook the waters, casting waves as it went. It touched everyone’s soul but only the monkeys got caught up in it. The light swept them away and they left without fighting, screeching as they went. 

The monkey holding Killian let him go and the next thing she knew he was falling. It came naturally to her. She shot out her hand again, as if she knew what she was doing.

The light—her light—covered the ship, blanketing Killian’s fall like a pile of freshly fallen snow.

-x-

The winds were not in the Charmings favor.

Snow stood at the bow of the ship, searching for any signs of her daughter on the horizon. Emma had made this journey countless of times before. She would be lying if she said something didn’t feel off about this whole mess. Honestly, Snow wouldn’t have been surprised if this was Zelena’s doing.

A board creaked from somewhere behind her. She didn’t have to turn around to know it was her husband standing there. He’d been watching her like a hawk since they set sail. 

“We will get her back,” he assured her.

“I know…it’s just…” she trailed off, not sure if she should voice her concerns to him or not. Surely, she was just overreacting.

“What?” He asked her, and she couldn’t deny him the truth any longer. They never lied to each other.

“I’m sure it’s nothing…it’s just…something feels—”

“Off,” he finished for her. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “I agree. I don’t like it either, Snow. But we won’t know anything until we catch up to them.”

They had Blue track the ship. From the fairy's best judgement, the pirate ship was heading towards Arendelle, which also made no sense considering the ransom note said Captain Jones would return Emma back at port as soon as the ransom was paid. 

“David….” Snow whispered, fear laced into her voice. “What is that?”

David followed his wife’s gaze. At first he didn’t see it. There was a soft white light on the horizon. It started out small, but then gradually it began to grow in size. 

“I’m not sure.”

“It’s coming this way,” Snow said again.

To his terror, he realized Snow was right. The light cascaded across the ocean floor, continuing to grow in size as it approached their ship. They couldn’t outrun whatever was racing towards them. They had nowhere to go. David clutched Snow’s hand. Whatever it was, they would face it together. The light swept across the ship in one fell swoop.

As quickly as it came, it vanished, leaving them wondering if they’d imagined the whole thing. Then not more than a moment later the winds picked up and the sails took a life of their own. Their ship, having been at a standstill a moment prior, began to pick up speed. 

“What was that?” David asked, a question he didn’t expect to receive an answer. 

Before Snow could respond, screeching came from somewhere above them. They looked up, surprised and unsure what to think of the sky filled with hundreds of flying monkeys—flying monkeys heading directly back towards the castle. 

-x-

Killian had three large wounds in the shape of claw marks. They started at the right side of his face, just under his eye and they ran down to the middle of his chest. They weren’t deep enough to need stitches but there was a chance they would leave a scar after they had healed. 

Emma dabbed absent-mindlessly at them with a rag. The notion was pointless as they long since stopped bleeding but Emma insisted she clean the wound all the same.

She stared out into nothingness, not meeting his eye. Killian desperately wished he could take a peak inside her head to see what was going on in there. She hadn’t uttered a word since her little show on deck. She saved their lives. She saved _his_ life, he corrected, recalling a fall that should have left him with several broken bones _at least_. Instead, his impact had resulted in him falling into a pile of freshly fallen snow despite the summer's heat. 

“Are we going to talk about what happened?” he asked her skeptically, carefully. He didn’t want to spook her off; however, he also wanted answers. She had neglected to tell him that she possessed bloody magic. 

When she didn’t answer him, he caught her wrist. Her eyes flickered over to his. He could see the internal storm brewing there and he almost wished he hadn’t asked. In that moment, he felt the strongest of urges to pull her into his arms. This primal nature, this instinct to keep her safe, nearly overwhelmed him. 

His heart stilled. 

He hadn’t felt this way since Milah. 

_Milah._

He loved Milah with all his being, so much so that he never thought he’d be capable of loving someone else again. However, Emma’s very presence made him realize that this was far from true. Until Emma, he hadn’t thought his heart was capable of loving anyone again. Emma awoke something within him and it frightened him deeply. His heart ached for her, something he couldn’t comprehend because he didn’t even know her. Not really, and yet, when they were together he felt as if he’d known her his entire existence. 

Killian didn’t believe in fate or love at first sight. However, he couldn’t deny the circumstances of which they had met. Until Emma, he didn’t believe you could fall for someone without ever having known them. 

But this mattered little now. Emma was a princess and he was nothing more than a pirate. She deserved so much more than anything he had to give her. 

“I don’t know.”

Her voice was small. 

“Are you okay?” he asked, changing his approach.

She gave him the slightest of nods. She pulled her hand away from his and dropped the rag into the bucket. He didn’t say anything, fearing she’d block him out entirely. After a painful few minutes of silence, she turned back to him, eyes wide, and palms out to face him.

She didn’t need to say a word. He understood.

“You didn’t know?” 

He trusted her, he did, though he found it difficult to understand how she didn't know she possessed magic.

“I’m a product of true love,” she told him instead, not entirely answering his question. 

He can’t say it didn’t surprise him. He heard tales of the infamous Prince Charming and Snow White after all. Still, it didn’t explain why she was only showing her powers now. 

“Blue told—“

“Blue?”

“She’s a fairy." Emma waived him off as if this fact mattered little. "She told me that…" Emma's gaze dropped away from his. “It doesn’t matter what she said,” Emma said, bitting her lip, though she could hear Blue’s voice ringing in her head all the same. 

_If you do not find a way, no one will. Search your heart. Let hope give you light even in the darkest of places. Let love guide you._

“I was told I would need to unlock it.”

His eyes fixated on hers again and she felt as if he was opening up his soul to her. It was a powerful feeling, one she couldn't quite shake. It took her everything not to fall into those blue eyes of his. If she did, she feared she would have confessed everything to him right then and there.

“How did you unlock it?” His voice came soft and strained, and the intensity of his gaze made her second guess herself. It hadn't occurred to her before that they both had their secrets, and that perhaps their secrets were one in the same. 

Her heart quickened in her chest as she thought back to that moment the light spilled from her hands. The truth was, she wasn’t entirely sure how she unlocked this power. She remembered a roaring in her ears, and the hum beneath her skin. She recalled the monkey that had swooped from the sky and clawed into Killian’s chest. The cry he had let out had filled her with such rage for a lack of a better term.

She remembered being angry. So incredibly angry in the moment. Angry at Walsh for even existing. Angry at her parents for not doing something to stop Zelena sooner. Angry at Leo for being second-born, leaving her to pick up the pieces. Angry at Killian for making her feel things she shouldn’t. But most of all, she was angry at Zelena who threatened to take away everything she held dear.

“I was…angry,” she admitted to him finally and it felt so good that she did not stop there. “Angry at my parents. Leo. Walsh.” She flickered her eyes over to him. “Angry with you.”

His eyebrows shot up. “ _Me_?” 

A moment ago she had felt incredible vulnerable, but her confession sparked something within her and she suddenly didn’t feel so afraid anymore. Not now, not with him looking at her like she was the only thing in the world that mattered to him. 

She trusted Killian and she could see that he cared for her, so much so, she wished she had trusted her instincts from the get go. She couldn’t explain it. She just did, and that was enough for her. 

No more games, she thought. 

Zelena could kill her tomorrow, or worse yet, she could be condemned to live the rest of her life with Walsh for a husband. However, there was no point in dwelling on everything that _could be_. In that moment—at least to her—it did not matter that she was a princess and him a pirate. 

Before she could second guess herself, she closed the distance between them. “Yes,” she finally told him, unsure where this newfound courage suddenly came from. “I was angry at _you_. You scared the shit out of me.” 

She traced a finger over his face, just around his scar. She’d long since made up her mind. She was so close she could feel his breath on her cheek. 

“You were never suppose to care," she whispered, not entirely sure if she even brought the words to life. 

Killian swallowed the lump in his throat. This was dangerous territory. He felt it in his bones. He knew what she wanted, but he feared the consequences if he was mistaken. However, when Emma's fingers traced the scar from his face down to his chest, he knew he hadn’t mistook her intentions after all. 

He caught her arm before it could go any further. “Emma. You don’t want this.”

Oh. He was so wrong.

She thought through her next words carefully. She wanted him more than he probably even knew. 

“If this plan fails, I’ll either be dead or forced to marry Walsh. I can’t…” her voice nearly broke at the thought. She’d been so strong until this point, she would not break now. She took in a deep breath. “I can’t let him be the first,” she told him, voice nearly breaking because she needed him to understand how much she needed this. 

His thumb moved gently over her cheek. She was incredibly good at reading people, and she thought she had him pegged, but his sudden silence caught her off guard. Maybe she had mistaken his feelings for her. 

“Killian, please.”

“Tell me, Emma. You have to say it,” he whispered, voice hoarse. 

“Don’t you know?” she breathed out. “It’s you.” 

The look in her eyes and the truth of her words, alarmingly honest was enough for him. Then suddenly the space between them exploded. His hands tangled in her hair and then he was kissing her as if she would suddenly disappear from the world, as if one misplaced breath and he would be left with nothing. 

She returned every kiss, every touch, every caress. Gods above, she wanted this. 

She hadn’t known before, not truly, how one simple kiss could turn your world upside down, how it could awaken a part of you you didn’t even know existed. When she breathed into him, she hadn’t know she was drowning before. When she touched him, she hadn’t known how burning it could be. She hadn’t known before how someone could leave a permanent scar on your heart, how you could feel something for someone, so much that it almost hurt to be alive. 

“Gods, Emma,” Killian groaned against her lips. “This is all I have thought about since we’ve met.”

At his words, a rush of lust washed over her body, pooling right between her legs. She gasped when he bit her lip before moving to claim her neck. She grasped onto his shoulders, struggling to pull him as close as she physically could.

“I want you, Swan. I’ve wanted you the moment you stepped foot in that tavern,” he continued on, huskily against her collarbone now. She pulled away from him slightly but only long enough to loosen the ties on his pants.

“Tell me you want this,” he rasped out.

“I want this. I want you.” Her throat tightened, choking on the words bubbling up inside her. 

Her confession had him crashing his lips to hers again and she felt her knees cave out from under her. Killian scoped her up and she latched her legs around him. They fell onto the bed in one clean swoop, his lips never leaving hers. She helped him pull off her blouse, exposing herself to him for the first time. Her cheeks tainted pink when he took a moment to take her all in. She hadn’t known before that someone was capable of even showing that much emotion within a single gaze.

“Gods, you’re beautiful.”

He kissed her again, this time he pushed her back down. His hand forged a trail over body, gliding up her side before resting at the edge of her breast. She arched against him, wanting him in more ways than he could possibly know. His hand found her nipple and he tweaked it between his fingers. 

“Fuck,” she gasped, arching against him. 

She could feel his pleasure pressing into her hips, hitting her just right. Still, she needed more. She wanted to feel him, needed to feel him, all of him. Her hands shot for the waistband of his pants and sliped her hand inside. When she grasped him in the palm of her hand, he bit down on her shoulder, moaning against her skin. 

“Bloody hell, Emma. You’re a temptress,” he rasped out in between kisses.

“Pirate,” she muttered back. 

He latched onto her breast again as she continued to stroke him. Gods above, the things he was doing with his tongue right now was bringing up feelings she didn’t think she was even capable of feeling. It made her wonder why she hadn’t given into her desires sooner. Her hand fell from him when he shifted his body south. When he pulled away, she moaned at the loss contact. 

“Patience, love.”

Her hands grasped at her pants and she yanked them down. She lifted her hips and he helped her out of them.

“Have I told you that you’d make one hell of a pirate?” he asked her. 

He was teasing her, she knew, but she also caught the hidden meaning behind his words. She swallowed the lump in her throat. Thankfully, he didn’t let her answer him because he was already leaning down again. He placed a kiss on her hip. She sucked in her a deep breath, anticipating and slightly fearful of what he planned to do next.

“Tell me what you want, Swan?”

He continued to move south, leaving a trail of kiss down her stomach and down to her legs. Then he came back up and placed a kiss on her inner thigh. Her eyes drifted shut and she let out a tiny hum. It took all her confidence to remain laying on that bed. She wasn’t use to feeling so incredibly vulnerable in _that_ way in front of a man 

“You,” she choked out. “Gods. Killian I want you.”

When his tongue touched her center, she nearly came undone right then and there. Then he slipped a finger inside and she swore she saw stars behind her eyelids. 

“Say it again,” he whispered and she arched against him. “Say my name.”

“Killian,” she choked out his name as she came.

He kissed his way back up to her before claiming her mouth with his own again. This time when he kissed her, it was slow and passionate. He pulled away slightly to get a good look at her, as if to memorize every feature, every imperfection that made her his. She blushed slightly under his gaze. He was propped above her now, holding himself up with his arms placed on either side of her head. 

“Do you trust me?” he whispered, him too seemingly overcome with emotion. 

“Always,” she whispered because if she said anything more she would have come apart at the seams. 

He gave her one more passionate kiss and Emma widened her legs to welcome him in, all of him in. Her ankles locked on the small of his back and Killian took that as all of the acceptance he needed. He guided himself inside of her easily and her name fell from his lips.

Fuck, she thought, and he echoed her thoughts aloud. He mistook her sharp intake of breath for something else.

“Are you okay?” He asked, suddenly stopping. 

Emma wasn’t completely naïve. She knew that for some women, it hurt. Perhaps it was him, or hell, maybe it was even her newfound magic. Whatever it may be, she was happy she was not one of those women, for in that moment, she felt nothing but love. 

She paused a moment to regain her breathing. She ran a hand through his hair before kissing him gently on the forehead. Then she looked him straight in the eye so he would know she was telling him the truth.

“Killian, please. I want this. I want you.”

He pulled back almost all the way before thrusting his hips back to meet hers. He started slow. She could feel every inch of him, pushing her to her limits. He filled her completely, made her feel whole again. Her breasts rose and fell with each thrust. As he quickened his pace, his head fell to the crook of her neck and her hand found his way to the nape of his neck. She held onto him as they rocked against each, both desperate for a release, and all she could think about was why the fuck hadn’t they done this sooner. 

He rocked his hips, faster, harder, until they were both gasping for air. She could feel him shaking above her and she knew he was close. 

“Killian,” she groaned, a sign that she was close as well. 

“You are beautiful, Emma. Please. Let me see you,” he gasped out. 

He reached down between them to rub the most sensitive part of her body and that was enough to send her over the edge. As she climaxed, her hand tightened at the base of his neck and she heard herself choke out his name. He came undone around her a moment later, echoing her own moans with a few of his own.

He stayed there for a moment, hovering above her with his forehead rested against hers. 

“You’re shaking,” she whispered, breaking their spell. 

“Aye,” he echoed back.

She brought his head down to her chest and he laid there for a moment, listening to her heart, beating in tandem with his. When he eventually rolled off her, he took her with him, so he was cradling her against his chest. 

“Killian…” she began, though unsure of where to start. 

It was her fault the monkeys had attacked the ship. They could have died.

She had to tell him, something, anything. Before she could, Killian tapped her on the shoulder and pointed to something behind her. 

“Well. Would you look at that.”

Emma lifted her head from his chest. Every candle in his chamber had been lit. Her cheeks grew warm, realizing it had probably been her doing. Something tightened in her chest then, and she recognized the familiar song that hummed beneath her skin. The flames grew brighter, cementing the fact that it _had_ been her doing after all.

“Hey, love. Look at me.” 

She did and she immediately relaxed. The flames lowered to a simmer. “I’m afraid,” she admitted to him.

She was lying. She wasn’t just afraid. She was terrified. Terrified of this newfound power. Terrified that Zelena would destroy her family. Terrified that this thing with Killian was so much more than a onetime thing. 

As if he could sense her thoughts, he pulled her back against his chest. “I know,” he whispered. “I know.”

Emma relaxed against him. As he traced a finger up and down her back, her eyes began to drift shut. Just for a moment, she decided to let herself pretend that everything was going to be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can see, this Fic is not a slow burn ;)


	5. Go The Distance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SURPRISE! Another update! 
> 
> Drawing attention to this again based on a comment from the last chapter. I REALLY don't want to give anyone else the wrong impression. In case anyone missed it, here it goes: 
> 
> I like to take characters and themes from my other fandoms and incorporate them into the stories I write. For instance, I included the character Floki (Vikings) in this story. Also, the conversation Emma and Walsh had in the second chapter is from Titanic (all time favorite movie btws). A reader pointed out that the prophecy Blue gave in the last chapter was from LOTR (Also one of my favorite series).
> 
> Just wanted to clear the air. I'm not taking anyone else's work and calling it my own. I apologize if it came across that way. I just love giving my favorite movies/TV a shoutout in the fanfiction I write. From now on, if I include other dialogue/quote from something, I'll try to remember to call it out at the start of the chapter. 
> 
> I think this goes without saying, but OUAT, any of its characters (and those from other fandoms) are not my own. This story is purely for my own form of sanity during social distancing orders. 
> 
> Anywho, haters going to hate =) 
> 
> Enjoy Chapter 5

The next morning, Killian awoke to find Emma still resting her head against his chest. He would have stayed there forever if he could have. A spark of joy settled in his heart, though it was quickly followed by one of disappointment. He hadn’t fallen this hard for someone since Milah. He never thought he was capable of loving someone else again. And now that he had found someone, he knew she would walk out of his life as quickly as she entered it.

He couldn’t blame her. She was fighting a war, after all. She had bigger things to worry about than a pirate she had a onetime thing with—because he knew that’s what this was. A onetime thing. A onetime thing to kill the flame, to kill the desire. 

It did no such thing though. If anything, Killian thought they had just ignited that flame even more. 

Doing his best not to wake her, he reached out for his compass that currently laid on his bedside table. He didn’t know why he even bothered to look at it. He knew what it would show him. The compass was flickering back and forth, no doubt trying to pinpoint her. 

Emma.

He felt her stir. Before falling asleep, he had worried things would be awkward in the morning, that she would clam up and shut him out completely. However, she surprised him with a sleepy smile instead. She let out a yawn and it took all his self control not to kiss her. 

“Good morning, love,” he whispered, fighting the urge. 

“Good morning,” she echoed back, her cheeks growing pink, probably remembering the events that had unfolded from their night together.

It was amazing how the simplest of looks could send your whole world spinning. Emma found the claw mark on his face and gently began to trace it with her fingers. Killian winced slightly when she brushed against it. He hadn’t looked in a mirror yet, though suspected it would probably leave a nasty looking scar after it fully healed. 

More the merrier, he thought.

“Emma,” he breathed out her name, eyes drifting shut. 

She’s leaving you, he tried to remind himself. Don’t get attached.

And yet, when he opened his eyes, all he saw was the beauty in her soul. She had opened her heart to him last night, and she was offering it again to him now.

Emma laced their hands together. He let her pull his head towards hers. When they finally kissed, she seemed to ignite a fire within his soul, bringing up emotions he hadn’t felt in an incredibly long time. He seemed to have the same effect on her. The kiss grew deeper, hungrier, as if they were both aware of the little time they had left together. 

“I thought this was a onetime thing,” he muttered between kisses.

“Shut-up.”

He didn’t have to be told twice. “As you wish, love.”

Killian rolled over so she was the one hovering over him this time. Emma straddled him, pulling him as close as she physically could. Neither of them had bothered to dress from the night before. He tugged at the thin sheet that separated them until her breasts sprung free. He used his fingers to tweak her nipples, which hardened in response. She rocked her hips into his. 

“Gods, Emma,” he pleaded.

When he couldn’t stand the ache in his chest any longer, he reached down between them and guided himself into her center. Emma sighed in sensation as she welcomed him in, all of him. His hand trailed down the length of her back before resting at her hips.

She moved slowly at first, agonizingly slow. It took extra effort on his part not to tumble over the edge right then and there. 

“Emma,” Killian said, voice low, husky and desperate. 

She caught the hint. She rocked her hips faster, harder, until they were both left gasping for air. She tightened around him and Killian knew she was close. But if this was their last time together then he was going to make sure she never forgot his name. 

He flipped them over so she was underneath him. She gasped at the new position. He matched her thrusts with his own, and just when he was about to climax, he reached between them and touched her soul. Emma arched against him. She gasped his name and he came right undone with her. 

When they were finished, he rolled off her. They sat in silence for an awfully long time until eventually Emma’s voice caught in the back of her throat. Although she tried to cover it up, Killian heard her loud and clear. 

"What is it, Emma?”

She shook her head, refusing to let him see her sorrow. He was a pirate captain. He had better things to do than to comfort her, and the last thing she ever wanted was to be _that_ girl that cried after sex. But it wasn’t the sex that had upset her. 

It was everything else.

_Walsh’s proposal. This war. Her newfound powers. Zelena and her flying monkeys. Killian and his fucking blue eyes._

Because what if her kingdom lost the war? What if they _didn’t_ lose the war? 

Killian was never supposed to be more than a travel companion. A means to an end. Nothing more.

Fuck.

She was way in over her head with this one.

It took her a moment, but eventually she was able to regain her composure. “I don’t know if I can defeat Zelena,” she admitted. 

“I saw your magic, love. If anyone has anything to fear, it’s her.”

Emma grew quiet again. She bit her lip. “Yeah,” she said meekly. “I suppose.” 

“And besides,” he began. “She’ll have to go through me first if she plans on getting to you.”

Emma sat up. This had never been part of their deal. “Killian—”

He cut her off. “No buts, Emma. I’m going to help you defeat this Wicked Witch of yours.”

"But you don't take sides," she sputtered, still not quite believing him. 

Killian shrugged in response, as if the answer was perfectly obivious.He long since made up his mind. It didn’t matter what this was between them—a twosome thing or not, he knew one thing for certain, his revenge against the crocodile could wait. 

-x-

Leo never thought he was particular good at much in life. He wasn’t that smart, nor particularly skilled in anything. Aside from having famous parents and his naturally good looks, he was a fairly average kid at heart. He was, however, very good when it came to getting into trouble and sneaking out of the castle. 

He wrote a very vague letter to Lancelot, hoping the knight would cover for him in his absence. Then he took the same passage that Emma and he had used to sneak out of the castle the night they met Killian. That night felt like an eternity ago.

He didn’t exactly have a plan. His parents and sister were hundreds of miles away. He didn’t see how he’d ever catch up with them, but he had to at least try. Zelena had put a price tag on all their heads. If he could only reach the docks without her catching wind, then he could pay a sailor to take him to Arendelle. He could only hope that his parents stayed in the city long enough to give him time to reach them. 

It was better than nothing. 

He was nearly out of the tunnel when purple smoke suddenly evaporated right in front of him, blocking his only way out. The smoke was followed by a loud bang, and Leo fell back, startled by the sudden theatrical display. 

“Well. Well. Well. What do we have here?” 

Leo froze. Zelena stood in front of him now, a wicked grin on her face. Leo swallowed the lump in his throat. Perhaps he wasn’t so great at sneaking out after all. 

-x-

The closer the ship neared Arendelle, the more Emma began to realize something was terribly off. Even in the quietest of cities she had visited, the docks were usually bustling with life. However, Arendelle was dead quiet, not a single soul in sight.

She shot Killian a nervous look. “You don’t think….?”

He didn’t know what to think. Everything about this journey had been strange to say the very least. He didn’t see how Zelena could have beat them here, even with her flying monkeys. He pulled out his cutlass all the same, not wanting to take any chances. He decided to only take Floki and Alice with them, leaving the rest of his crew onboard. He wouldn’t risk losing any members of his crew. If they needed a quick getaway, the ship would be ready to set sail at once. Bae did not like being left behind, and his brief outburst of anger reminded Killian why he had never been particularly fond of children in the first place.

_Teenagers_ , Killian thought as the young lad stomped away, angry.

Emma, on her part, found it incredibly amusing. “He’ll come around.”

The four of them disembarked the ship, swords out at the ready. However, it didn’t take them long to realize their weapons were pointless. No one was there. The town was a literal ghost town. 

Killian had witnessed plenty of abandoned towns in his lifetime before, but he found the predicaments of this city a bit bicurious. For starters, there were no signs of pilferage. It was almost as if every citizen had simultaneously decided together to leave at once. He had no logical explanation for it. Maybe a sickness had overcome the city and forced them to leave?

Still, that didn’t explain the untouched things lying around. Bedsheets were still left hung up to dry, a children’s game had been abandoned mid-game, and he could still make out freshly baked bread on display in the bakery window. Whatever happened to this town, didn't happen that long ago.

“What a strange place,” Floki said.

“I don’t like this,” Alice agreed. “Something isn’t right here. Can’t you feel it?”

Emma could feel it. Her fingertips tingled with power, aching to be let out. She could hear the hum of magic beneath her skin. It was as if the city was calling to her. 

“What do you think happened here?” Emma asked, pushing the feeling down. 

She may have had magic, but that didn’t necessarily mean she knew how to use it. She wanted to answer its call. She did. She really did, but she was afraid that if she tapped into, she'd set off a bomb in her wake.

Before Killian could answer her, the ground beneath their feet began to shake. It started out gradual before picking up speed. Emma lost her balance and she tumbled into Killian, who caught her around the waist to keep her grounded.

"Love?" Killian asked and Emma heard the unspoken question loud and clear.

"It's not me!" she shouted at him above the roar. At least, she was pretty sure it wasn't her doing.

The ground took a life of its own, and it began to push them up the path. The stone path folded and unfolded beneath them, forcing them in the direction it wanted them to go. Having not much say in the matter, they let the road take them all the way to the top of a hill that overlooked the city. When they reached the top, Killian was dumbfounded. The whole town was there, camped out. 

“I’ll ask around to see what’s going on,” Alice offered. 

“Very strange town,” Floki offered with a shrug before catching up with Alice.

Emma didn’t know what to make of the mess. She suddenly wondered if she had wasted her time journeying here. How naïve of her to think that this ice queen would help solve her own problems. Clearly, Arendelle had their own issues to deal with. 

“Not again,” she heard Killian sigh. 

Rocks began to roll towards them. Emma couldn’t help but roll her eyes when Killian jumped in front of her, sword at the ready. The rocks stopped right before impact. To her terror or amazement—she wasn’t quite sure which emotion outweighed the other—she realized the rocks were _alive._

One by one, the rocks began to unfold, revealing tiny little creatures underneath the moss and stone. She counted at least a dozen of them, all ranging in age. The one in the front looked the oldest and was clearly the leader of the pack. He had gentle eyes and necklaces full of gems. The troll waddled his way over to her. Again, Killian held out his sword, not trusting the creature in the slightest. She saw something in the creature he did not, and she gently pushed his arm down.

“Killian. It’s fine,” she said, moving in front of him. She knelt down so her and the troll were eye-level. “Hello,” she said addressing the troll. “I’m looking for the ice queen.”

“Princess,” the elder exclaimed. “You’ve traveled far to be here, but I’m afraid Queen Elsa and Princess Anna have traveled into the unknown.”

Emma sighed heavily. “Do you know when they will return? It’s important.”

“I am afraid not but I know what it is you seek. I see the future and I’m sad to say it is bleak.”

“What do you see?”

The troll raised his hands into the air and a puff of purple mist appeared. Emma blinked, uncomprehending the images that flashed across the haze of smoke.

_Fire. A woman screaming. Water. The cry of a baby. Magic._

The hairs prickled at the back of Emma’s neck, having the good sense that nothing good could come from this prophecy.

“There’s only one who wields the power and strength to stop the Wicked Witch, for she is strong. I see a savior, a product of true love and born out of ash and despair.”

“A savior?” Emma gulped.

“Yes. A savior that wields light magic. Only they can stop her. However, should they fail, all that they hold dear will be lost.”

The troll waived his hand and the mirage disintegrated into nothingness. Killian found himself growing annoyed. He didn’t understand why the future always had to come in the form of a prophecy.

“Oh yes. That explains everything,” he said, not bothering to hide his irritation. “Surely there must be something else in that purple mist of yours.”

“You are searching for guidance. The answers to what you seek lies in the next town over, just beyond the forest. There, a woman holds a weapon that controls the darkest being in all the realms." Now that grabbed Killian’s attention. He perked up. He didn’t need to think hard to decipher that code. “I thought the dagger was here in Arendelle?”

“I’m afraid not.”

“That’s not what my cohorts told me,” he said, annoyed. 

“I’m afraid your cohorts were misinformed.”

Emma cut in, “I don’t understand. How can this dagger help me defeat Zelena?”

“The dagger controls the Dark One,” Killian replied. Emma knew he was searching for a dagger, and she had a vague idea on _why_ he wanted it. Something to do with his revenge on Rumpelstiltskin. However, he had never told her exactly what the dagger did, and she had never bothered to ask, feeling it wasn’t her place to harp on his past. 

Emma shot him a look, eyes raised in betrayal.

“The dagger has been kept hidden. It is they who holds the answers to what you seek,” the troll continued on.

“Would you stop speaking in goddamn riddles.” Killian was losing his patience.

Emma shot him another glare. The troll either hadn’t heard him or ignored him, for he threw up his hands and the purple haze returned. In the image, Killian could clearly make out a small, quaint cottage on a farm.

“The dagger is there?” Killian asked in disbelief.

“The woman there will know what you seek,” The troll said, not entirely answering his question. “Though I fear she will not take a liking to strangers.”

Emma stood up, thinking. 

“And how are we suppose to find this cottage?”

This time the troll turned to Killian. “Your compass. It’ll show you the way.”

Well. Bloody hell. 

He honestly wasn’t sure if he was skeptical or a little impressed that the troll even knew he had the compass. 

He glanced skeptically at Emma, who was mirroring a look of confusion that matched his own. She was clearly waiting for an exclamation on his part. He caved, figuring there was no talking his way around it. “The compass doesn’t point north. It points to what you want most.” 

Emma nodded, comprehending. Her mouth formed an ‘O.’ “Is that how you got to Arendelle?”

He thought of the needle following Emma around his ship. “Something like that,” he lied. 

“I’m sorry, Princess, that I cannot be of more help.”

Emma sighed, standing up. She brushed the dirt from her knees. “It’s okay. Thank you.”

The trolls left almost as quickly as they came. Emma crossed her arms over her chest. She bit her lip, thinking. 

“Emma…” Killian began, but she shook her head. 

She didn’t want to talk about it. The troll’s prophecy didn’t go over her head. A savior born from true love. A savior born with light magic. Emma had always been good at compartmentalizing her feeling; However, this prophecy certainly tested her limits. She’d taken it upon herself to find a plan to stop Zelena. She had never anticipated that plan would entail _herself_

“Emma. We’ll take it one step at a time. Okay?” Killian said, sensing her inner turmoil.

Her heart skipped a beat. She was thankful she had found him, pirate or not. “We?”

He gave her a smile—a smile that spoke the true depth of his feeling. “Aye.” 

She looked away first. A two-time thing, she reminded herself. Their feelings for each other mattered little. Even if they won the war, they still belonged to two different worlds.

“Let’s go back to the ship. If the cottage is in the next town over, we could reach it within the hour.”

Killian was just about to call for Alice and Floki, when Emma spoke up beside him. “Shit. Killian. Look.”

Killian squinted. He could just barely make out a ship on the horizon. He used his spy glass to get a better look. It didn’t surprise him to find the crest of Emma’s kingdom flying high in the wind.

Emma didn’t need to use the spyglass to confirm her fears. She’d recognize that ship anywhere. 

“It can’t be.”

“I don’t know, lass. Looks a lot like a naval ship to me.”

“Please tell me Zelena is not on it.”

“Not from the looks of it, but I can’t say the same for your fiancé.” 

Now _that_ surprised her. She took the eyeglass from his hand to see for herself. Sure enough, he was correct. She spotted Walsh standing next to her parents. There was no sign of Leo and she briefly worried her parents had been foolish enough to leave him back at the castle with Zelena. 

“I can’t go back to the ship. They’ll catch us.”

“Haven’t I told you, love. I’m uncatchable.” 

Emma rolled her eyes, not in the mood for jokes. It didn’t matter that the Jolly Roger was the fastest ship in all the realms—Killian’s words, not hers. She didn’t want to take the chance he was wrong. “They’ll never trust you.” 

“Yeah. But they’ll trust _you_.”

But Emma shook her head, insisting. “No. They won’t understand. They’ll just try to stop me. Besides. Walsh is with them. The whole point of me coming here is so he doesn’t know.”

“We will walk then,” Killian offered. “It shouldn’t take more than a day to reach this cottage by foot. If we find some horses, the journey would be even faster.”

“We are not stealing horses, Killian.”

He looked offended. “Who said anything about stealing, love?” Killian shrugged. _Borrow. Stole._ Same difference. “Fine. We will walk. Suit yourself, love.”

“And my parents?” 

“Floki and Alice can tell the others to set sail. Hopefully it’ll steer your parents away from Arendelle and give us more time to reach this cottage. We can meet up with the rest of the crew at the next port.”

Emma’s heart skipped a beat at his proposal, and fought the urge to smile at his use of _we_ and _us_. 

He was leaving his ship, even if just for a moment. _For her._

He tossed her the compass, catching her off guard. “Shall we, love?” He was thankful that she didn’t question why he wasn’t the one leading the way. 

-x-

It took Killian several hours to realize that Emma had long since stopped following the compass. He first suspected it when they came to a crossroads and Emma not so confidently chose the path to the right. He asked her if she was certain, to which she replied yes, though he didn’t miss the red tint in her cheeks all the same.

A spark of joy ignited in the pit of his stomach. He wondered what the compass was actually pointing to when she looked at it. He tried peaking over her shoulder more than once, but she kept it hidden from his view. 

“Everything alright there, love?”

“Fine,” she told him curtly, which told him she wasn’t fine at all. 

He tried again, despite his brain telling him to let it go. “If we are lost—”

“We aren’t lost,” she snapped at him.

Killian suddenly stopped and turned to her. Emma’s eyes shifted up to meet his. She could feel his breath on her neck and suddenly any thoughts of this only being a two-time thing flew out the window.

“What’s bothering you?” he tried again to no such luck.

She surprised them both when she abruptly shoved him backwards. “You,” she shouted at him. 

“ _Me?_ What did I do?” 

She held out the compass to him and then popped the lid open so Killian could see that the arrow was pointing directly at _him_. 

“Emma,” he breathed out her name, not knowing what else to say. His heart began to pound in his chest, unsure exactly what this all meant. 

“I’m angry because this damn thing is pointing at _you_ when it should be pointing towards the dagger.”

Her confession was his undoing. He crashed into her the same time she reached out for him. He caught her against his chest. They stumbled backwards and within moments, Killian had her fully pressed up against a tree

Until that moment, Emma didn't think her heart was capable of feeling so full. 

“You were never—” Emma gasped as Killian found her neck. 

“Never what love?” 

“It doesn’t matter—oh gods. Killian.” 

He found her neck as he hoisted her up, back against the tree. Emma locked her knees around him. She could feel his arousal pressing into her legs. Gods above she wanted him, needed him. 

And that was the problem. Of all people to fall for, she just had to fall for a Pirate Captain—a man her parents would never approve of, a man she could never call her own. She was beginning to realize that there was no winning when it came to defeating Zelena. If they lost the war, she lost her kingdom. If she won it, then she lost Killian. And if she hadn’t been pinned to a tree, and Killian wasn’t doing that thing with his tongue then she was fairly certain she would have had a mental break down over the thought. 

Killian pulled away briefly, hands flying towards the buttons on her blouse. He just about tore it open when something swooshed by their faces. They both froze, realizing they weren’t alone in the woods.

Killian glanced to the right, surprised to find an arrow wedged into the tree, no more than an inch from their heads 

“Step away from the princess,” came a voice from behind. 

Emma’s eyes met his. 

“Hands up where I can see them,” the voice came again.

In his head, Killian debated whether he could grab his sword and disarm their intruder before they were able to take another shot at them. When he didn’t do what their visitor said, another arrow whooshed by his head. That arrow struck the other arrow and split it right down the middle. The archer had precise aim, he’d give them that at least. Very reluctantly he held up his hands and turned around slowly. He stood in front of Emma all the same. He wouldn’t even question taking an arrow for her. 

He didn’t recognize the woman before them. The woman's dark hair was slicked back, away from her face, and he thought her attire was better suited for battle than a simple stroll in the woods.

“Captain Jones,” the woman greeted him, though she did not drop the bow and arrow.

He couldn’t help himself. “Ah! So you’ve heard of me?”

“Step away from the, princess,” the woman said again, harsher and clearly not in the mood for games. 

“Sorry. No can do, lass. You see the princess is with me.”

Emma clearly had enough of him defending her honor. “Killian, it’s fine,” she said stepping out in front of him, arms raised. 

A million thoughts rushed through her head. Should she tell the truth or would it be better to lie? However, her thoughts abruptly stopped when she saw who held the bow. Emma froze, completely dumbfounded. 

“Mulan?” Emma asked, baffled. She hadn’t seen her mother’s friend in a few years, yet she recognized her all the same. Emma had always looked up to the warrior princess. In fact, growing up, Emma had wanted to be just like her one day. 

“Emma are you alright?” Mulan asked. “Your parents sent word that you’ve been taken hostage.” Mulan shot Killian a quick glare before turning back to Emma.

Emma bit her lip. She tossed Killian a bashful look. “Yeah about that…”

Mulan narrowed her eyes some more. She glanced skeptically between the two of them. Mulan must have recalled how she found the two of them together because her cheeks tinted pink. 

“Mulan. It’s okay. He’s with me.”

Reluctantly, Mulan lowered her weapon. “Care to explain what’s going on?

So she did. Everything. From Zelena showing up on their doorstep to Walsh’s marriage proposal. She told her how she sought out Killian’s help and how she’d hoped to find an ice queen in Arendelle. She even told her about her magic and the troll’s prophecy of defeating Zelena. Of course, Emma didn’t tell her _everything_ , thinking of the night Killian and her had spent together. 

“We are looking for a cottage. Can you help us?” Emma finished. 

Mulan was silent for a moment too long and Emma realized her friend knew exactly where this cottage was.

“I know it’s a lot,” Emma offered, anything to help speed up this trust process. “But if you can at least point us in the right direction that would save us a lot of time.”

Mulan nodded, still thinking. “Yeah. I know where the cottage is. It’s not far from here.”

“It’s not?” Emma asked, puzzled. The troll made it seem like it was at least a days journey.

Mulan shook her head. She glanced at Emma hesitantly, making Emma wonder if Mulan wasn’t telling her the whole truth. “I know where it is. I didn’t say I’d take you there.”

“Mulan. We need that dagger. It’ll help us defeat Zelena.” 

But Mulan wasn't budging, her loyalty unwavering. "My friends live in this cottage you seek. They don't like visitors." 

"Mulan. Please. You know I wouldn't ask this of you if I didn't think it was important."

Mulan sighed. “Tell me exactly what the prophecy said?” 

Emma told her again. Killian sighed. She could sense his annoyance and ignored it. 

“Okay… I’ll take you there but you have to promise me you’ll be opened-minded?”

“Open-minded how?” Killian asked, arms crossed over his chest. He clearly didn’t trust the warrior princess. 

“Promise me or the deal is off.” 

“Okay. We promise," Emma jumped in before Killian could tell her otherwise.

Emma didn’t see how she could be anymore open-minded than she already had been this whole journey. They’d been attacked by flying monkeys for heavens sake, not to mention, she was literally sleeping with a Pirate Captain. If you would have told her a week ago she would fall for the infamous Captain Killian Jones, she would have called you insane. 

And yet, here they were. 

Mulan took them deep into the forest, way off the beaten path. Emma found herself thankful that they’d run into Mulan after all. They never would have found the cottage otherwise, at least not with the broken compass.

Well. She supposed it was working, just not in the way she needed it to.

The woods grew thick, so much so that Emma wondered if Mulan had the cottage’s location wrong. She did her best to duck under fallen branches, but still found herself getting nicked with a few thorns all the same. Emma just about had enough of the woods and the unending silence when Mulan finally pulled back a tree branch to reveal a clearing. In that clearing sat a cottage—the same cottage that the troll had prophesied. 

“Remember what I said,” Mulan warned and Emma nodded. 

Emma could make out a middle-aged woman in the distance. The woman had her back to them and she was hanging up sheets to air dry. As they approached, there was something vaguely familiar about the woman, something Emma couldn’t quite place. The woman turned around, startled.

“Mulan?” The woman asked, skeptical. The woman took a small step backwards, and Emma could tell that she was frightened by their presence.

Mulan sighed.

“Regina. There’s someone I’d like you to meet.”


	6. Reflection

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So I’ve tried to keep Killian’s story mostly the same (aside from losing his hand), though I’m sure it's missing some key details. It has been awhile since I’ve seen the show. So take this story for what it is. Again, apologies for grammar mistakes.

Regina. 

Regina as in the Evil Queen, Regina. Her mother’s evil step-mother, Regina. The same step-mother who hunted down Snow White for nearly a decade. _That Regina?_ Emma had never actually met the Evil Queen, or rather, she couldn't remember ever meeting her. Emma had only been a few hours old when Regina had tried—and failed—to enact the Dark Curse all those years ago. Her parents had told her that Regina died when the curse backfired. 

Of course, there were rumors that Regina hadn't died, that she was just biding her time until she took back the kingdom. Emma thought that those stories had been rumors, nothing more. Clearly, there had been some truth to them, for Regina was very much alive and well standing before her now. 

Growing up, she heard stories of the Evil Queen who swept terror across the kingdom. She’d been told the Evil Queen showed no mercy, that she had eyes as black as coal. Emma used to fear the day Regina would one day return and take away everything she held dear. However, her parents insisted Regina had died, that her dreams were nothing more than nightmares. Clearly, they had been wrong.

The woman didn’t look anything like the portraits Emma had seen of the woman either. _This_ Regina dressed in simple clothes and frankly, she didn’t strike Emma as evil…perhaps a little off-putting, but certainly not evil. Emma found herself hoping that this was a different Regina. 

“Why did you bring them here?” Regina snapped at Mulan. 

Mulan held up her hands in surrender. “Just…hear them out. Okay?” Mulan shot Emma a look. “Remember what I said. Open-minded.”

Okay. So this was definitely the right Regina. Did that make Regina her step-grandmother then? In her head, she’d always pictured Regina as someone much older than her parents. However, looking at her now, Emma realized how far from the truth these fantasies were. Regina couldn’t have been much older than her own mother, and Emma wondered how young Regina must have been when she married her grandfather.

Emma took a hesitant step back. Mulan told her to be open-minded. Still, this wasn’t what she had in mind when the troll showed them the cottage. Killian didn’t seem too happy about the whole situation either.

“Ah. Your majesty. So we meet again. Its been awhile, has it not?”

Regina studied him, confused. Slowly, her face changed to one of recognition and Emma found herself even more confused. “Jones? How…you look exactly the same.”

Killian shrugged. “Neverland has helped me retain my youthful glow. What can I say?”

Emma blinked. She kept forgetting Killian was three centuries old. She made a mental note to ask him about this later. 

Her mind told her to run but the magic humming beneath her skin insisted that she stayed. She’d come this far, she couldn’t turn back now. If Regina was their key to defeating Zelena once and for all then so be it. 

“My name is—”

“I know who you are,” Regina cut her off curtly. Emma felt incredibly small under her sharp gaze. “I don’t know why you’ve come here. Whatever you've been told is wrong. I can’t help you.”

She shot Mulan a look that could kill, and Emma thought perhaps she’d caught a glimpse of the Evil Queen within it. That thought came as quickly as it went, and Regina morphed back into nothing more than a simple farm girl. Regina turned her back to them and headed back towards the safety of her home. 

“Please,” Emma begged. “We mean you no harm. Our kingdom is at war. Zelena—”

“Zelena?” Regina said, turning back to them.

Regina clearly recognized the name. “You know her?”

Before Regina could answer her, the front door to the cottage opened and a girl somewhere in her teens stepped onto the porch. Aside from her chestnut hair, which was much lighter than Regina’s, Emma could tell this girl was her daughter. 

“Mom? What’s going on?”

“Nothing, sweetheart. Go back inside.”

The girl clearly didn’t believe her. “Should I get dad?” 

“No. Our visitors are just passing through.”

Emma shook her head. “No. We aren’t just passing through. Please. Whatever fight you’ve had with my parents is not with me. We were told you may have something that could help us, and we aren’t leaving until we get some answers.” When Emma saw that Regina still had her doubts, she added, “Ten minutes. That’s all I need.”

Regina stood silent for a moment. Eventually she sighed. “Rue,” Regina said, calling to her daughter. “Put a kettle on the stove.” She turned back to Emma with a warning look. “Ten minutes.”

With that said, Regina turned her back to them, leaving them no choice but to follow the Evil Queen inside. 

-x-

Leo awoke abruptly from the false sanctuary of a dreamless sleep. He groaned, hand reaching up to cradle his head. He felt ill. Very ill. He blinked several times in an attempt to clear his sight but only saw darkness. When he finally accepted that he wasn’t where he was supposed to be, his sense of feeling returned in a rush of harsh and unexpected agony. 

Panic. 

It shot through him with every shaky breath. It threatened to overwhelm his sanity. It could have been hours or mere minutes before he finally managed to regain control of his breathing. He remembered very little of how he ended up in what appeared to be the brig, and from the swaying of the world around him, he thought he may be on a ship. 

Zelena. 

He sat straight up and immediately regretted it. Pain surged through his temples. He had absolutely no idea how long he’d been out for. Judging from his whereabouts, some time had certainly passed.

Welp. It was official. Leo was certain he was the unluckiest person in all of the Enchanted Realms. The one time he tried to play hero he just ended up getting caught. 

He stood up, slowly at first. When he was sure he wasn’t going to topple over, he walked over to the bars and gave them a little shake. They didn’t budge.

“I think you’ll have to try a little harder than that.”

Hating himself, he jumped. Leo had thought he’d been alone in the cell. He had not seen the person hiding in the shadows. He should have known though, and he hated how easily he had let his guard down, even if it’d only been for a moment. 

A bright flame suddenly ignited in the corner of the room. In the darkness, it looked like the flame was floating. It did little to shut out the dark, and Leo found himself straining to see the source of the flame. But then he caught the cusp of golden hair and his heart filled with joy.

“Emma,” he whispered. If he hadn’t been so overjoyed to see her, he would have come to realize that the logistics of his sister being there did not make any sense. Pure joy overrode all sense of reasoning. He went as far as the cell would allow him to go. “Emma. Thank the gods. Are you alright?”

“Leo,” she said.

There was something in the way she said his name that gave him pause. Something that sounded off. He squinted, doing his best to examine her in the darkness. She looked like Emma with her golden hair and bright smile. Then his eyes drifted to the flame floating in the palm of her hand and a sense of unease washed over him. _When did Emma learn magic?_ His eyes flickered back to hers and that was when he knew. 

“You’re not Emma.”

The Emma before him let out a loud cackle that was so unlike his sister, he stumbled back into the wall behind him. 

_Zelena._

“You won’t get away with this,” Leo spat, sounding much braver than he actually felt. 

“Do you really think me so naïve. I know the pirate captain didn’t take your sister hostage.”

Emma—no Zelena—stepped closer until she was pressed up against the bars. He could see her clearly now, and he couldn’t help but think the flame’s light made her look the slightest bit green. He swallowed the lump in his throat, his worst fear having come true. Here they thought they’d been so clever.

“It won’t be long now,” she told him. He didn’t miss the gleam in her eye. He wondered how he hadn’t immediately saw through Zelena's disguise. But she still looked and sounded like his sister. 

“What did you do to my sister?” 

There was a poof of purple smoke and his sister disappeared behind it. When it cleared, Zelena stood before him now in all her glory. 

Feeling bolder now, Leo took a step forward. “My parents have Walsh—”

“Walsh!?” Zelena spat at him. “You think I care about him?” Zelena rolled her eyes at his stupidity. “He’s not my son.” 

Leo sputtered, at lost for words. He always suspected something wasn’t quite right with the man. Still, he hadn't expect this. His anger fueled his spirit, and he found his mouth suddenly taking on a life of its own. 

“I know you plan to have them all killed. Do you really think the kingdom will just accept you as their new Queen?”

Zelena flashed him a wicked grin. She tossed up her hand and the purple smoke formed around her once more. When it cleared, he found himself staring into the eyes of his sister again. Only it wasn’t her. If you looked closely, you could see the differences. Her skin was just a tad too smooth, her eyes a smidge too wide. Leo caught the green in the iris of her eyes, which shined bright against the flame. 

He focused on these imperfections because even knowing he was talking to Zelena, he could only see his sister. His heart ached for her. Never had he wanted his big sister more. 

“They may not trust Zelena, it's true. But they may just trust their precious princess,” she said, sounding so much like Emma that he wanted to vomit. 

“No one will believe it,” he said, though even he didn’t believe the truth of his own words. Perhaps those closest to his sister would realize something was off, but Zelena’s disguise was too foolproof. No one would suspect it actually wasn’t his sister.

“Tell me brother,” she said, voice going soft and almost pained. _Not Emma. Not Emma. Not Emma._ “With my family dead, who else will the kingdom turn to?” 

“You don’t have to do this,” he pleaded, changing his tone because unlike his parents and sister, Leo was not a fighter. Leo would have gladly given Zelena the crown if it meant his parents and Emma could live. 

“Goodbye, brother,” she said sweetly. “We should be catching up to our parents shortly. I suggest you get some rest.”

With that, Zelena put out the flame, plunging him into total darkness.

-x-

Killian and Emma took a seat at the table. Regina’s cottage was small but quaint. In her twenty years of hiding, Regina had not only managed to settle into a peaceful life but a life filled with love. Emma could tell that Robin loved his wife. It was the simplest of things. A soft smile here and there, a gentle touch on the shoulder, a nod of encouragement. 

Their daughter—who at first Emma thought looked so much like Regina—had Robin’s eyes and warm smile. Rue was the perfect mix between the two of them. The girl had just turned sixteen—only a few years younger than herself—and Emma realized that Regina must have had her shortly after failing to enact the Dark Curse.

Robin gave them a friendly smile as Regina prepared them a cup of tea. 

“It’s not everyday we have visitors, especially the Princess of Misthaven and Captain Killian Jones. Not your everyday houseguests,” Robin said, sounding incredibly humored by it.

“Please. Call me Emma,” she insisted. She hated the title and wished people would stop using it. She had a name. 

Mulan stood awkwardly by the doorway. She held her helmet tightly, as if was preparing to bolt at any given notice. “Won’t you stay?” Robin asked her. 

Mulan shook her head. “No. I must go,” she said, though didn’t give a reason why she needed to leave. 

It occurred to Emma that Mulan must have known about Regina’s existence for quite sometime. Mulan, while tense now was much too comfortable in Robin's presence. Emma had seen the warrior princess not that long ago and yet, Mulan had said nothing of Regina. Emma recalled how they sat at the dinning room table not more than three years ago. Snow and Mulan had spoke of stories from when they were young. 

“I assume my mother doesn’t know…” Emma’s eyes flickered over to Regina, unsure how to finish the sentence.

Mulan winced. “I’ve known Robin before he met Regina,” she admitted. “I trust him.” 

Emma didn’t really know what to say to that. Mulan and her mother were close as far as she knew. It struck Emma as strange that Mulan would have kept such a huge secret from her unless…

No.

“Wait. Does my mother know Regina is alive?”

Mulan and Robin exchanged nervous looks, and Emma found her superpower blaring loudly inside her head. _Lies!_

Robin, sensing their discomfort, intervened before the conversation could take a wrong turn. “It’s a long story,” Robin told her. “One I’m sure Regina will be happy to share,” he said, though sounded doubtful. 

“Share what?” Regina said, suddenly stepping into the room with her daughter in tow.

“And that’s my queue to leave,” Mulan said hurriedly. Mulan gave her a sheepish smile. “Look….you know your mother,” she said simply, as if that answered everything. “It was nice to see you again Emma. If I happen to run into your parents would you like me to tell them everything?”

Emma honestly didn’t know what she wanted. She thought maybe it would lessen the blow if they heard the story first from Mulan. She glanced at Killian. Well, maybe her parents didn't need to know _everything_.

“I doubt you’ll see them,” Killian told her before she could say anything. “I had my crew sail the Jolly Roger away from Arendelle. I’d suspect the Charmings followed it. Our plan is to meet up with my crew at the next port.”

Mulan nodded. “I’ll keep an eye out for them anyway. The port is not far from here. Your crew has probably already docked by now. I can send them word that you are safe if you wish.”

“That’d be great. Thank you, Mulan.” Emma embraced Mulan in a hug. “If you come across my parents…Walsh…he can’t know.”

“I understand. Take care, Emma. I hope we meet again soon.”

Mulan nodded once more before heading on her way. 

After Mulan left, Regina took a seat at the table and handed them each a mug. “I take it your parents don’t know you’re with him?” 

Emma glanced at Killian, her cheeks going red. A frown had formed over his features. “They know I’m with him,” she said eventually. Just not _with him, with him_ , she added in her head. 

“They think I’ve taken her hostage,” Killian offered, not missing a beat and sounding very pleased with himself.

“Hostage!?” Rue said excitedly, suddenly emerging. The girl took a seat right next to Regina. 

“Rue. Go tend to the horses.”

“No way! Other than dad and Roland’s merry men, they are the first visitors we’ve had in years! I’m staying.”

Regina frowned, though reluctantly agreed she could stay. “Fine you can stay, but no interrupting.”

Emma had wondered what the girl knew and didn’t know about Regina’s past. Considering Regina was allowing the teenager to stay spoke volumes. Emma doubted their family kept many secrets from each other. 

“Hostage you say?” Regina asked. Her voice remained incredibly monotoned, and Emma found it difficult to gauge where Regina stood. 

“It’s a long story.”

“Well,” Regina said. “You’ve got ten minutes. I’m all ears.”

“Before I tell you, I need to hear your story first. I need to know I can trust you.”

Emma wanted to tell her. She really did. But she needed to know that Regina wouldn't stab her in the back the next chance she got. She couldn’t just take Mulan and Robin’s word for it. She needed to hear it from Regina herself.

“That wasn’t part of the deal,” Regina said dryly. 

“Regina,” Robin cut in. “Maybe…It wouldn’t hurt.”

Regina glanced away from him. Rue gripped her mom’s hand. “It’s okay mom. Tell her.”

Regina clearly had a soft spot for her daughter. Reluctantly, she turned back to Emma. “When I tried to enact the Dark Curse my magic backfired. I was so weak.” Regina dropped her gaze then, unable to look anyone in the eye. “Your parents could have killed me. They _should_ have killed me.” Regina glanced back up. “But they let me go.”

“Wait,” Emma cut in. “So my mother does know you're alive? They told me you died.”

“They told the whole kingdom I had died. Instead, they exiled me from the Enchanted Forest.”

Emma had so, so many questions. Regina’s story was like a punch to the gut, knowing her parents had lied to her for twenty-years. If they had lied about Regina, what else had they lied to her about? She so desperately wanted to call Regina out on this, but she couldn’t because she knew Regina had spoken the truth. Letting their enemy live sounded so much like her parents it made her homesick. They were so infuriatingly optimistic sometimes.

Hope. 

They had so much hope.

“When the curse backfired, I lost my powers. I lost everything.” 

Robin reached out and took his wife’s hand. “I met Regina a few years afterwards,” he chimed in. “I didn’t know who she was at first.”

Rue flashed them a bright smile. “Then they fell in love and had me.”

In that moment, the girl reminded her so much of Leo that Emma found herself missing her baby brother. 

“There. Now you know I don’t plan on killing you. So please, tell me what you’ve come here for,” Regina said, cutting straight to the point.

Emma didn’t have time to dwell, so she told Regina everything. She told her story as quickly as she could without leaving out too many details. As crazy as it sounded, Regina had earned her trust. Now, she just needed to earn Regina's trust. Emma didn’t fail to notice the worried look Regina shot her husband every time she mentioned Zelena. When she finished, Emma had hoped that Regina would fetch the dagger at once; however, the woman just remained seated, incredibly quiet. 

“What is it?” Emma asked. 

Rue clearly had enough of ‘not interrupting,’ for she blurted out, “Zelena? As in _Aunt Zelena_?”

“Aunt?” Killian blurted out.

Emma had so many more questions. When Zelena had showed up at their castle, claiming to be the sister of Regina, no one particularly believed her. 

“So it’s true? Zelena is your sister?”

“Half-sister,” Regina corrected. “But yes. Zelena and I are related. I didn’t even know I had a sister until recently. She found me a few years ago.” Then almost at once, Regina stood up. “It doesn’t matter. I can’t help you.”

“But the prophecy—” Emma sputtered. She thought she’d been winning the former Queen over. 

Regina cut her off. “The prophecy is wrong. I don’t have the dagger. Not anymore.”

“Anymore?” 

“Zelena took it from me.” 

Emma felt her whole world begin to collapse. If Zelena had the dagger…

“Let me get this straight,” Killian blurted out. He’d been so quiet up until then. She wasn’t use to him being so silent. “So you let the Wicked Witch of the West just _take_ the Dark One’s dagger? Just like that.”

“No,” Regina snapped. “Not _just like that_. One day Zelena showed up on our doorstep and I let her in. I trusted her and she tricked me. ”

“Killian.” Emma turned to him, eyes wide with fear. “If Zelena has had the dagger this whole time…” she trailed off, unable to finish the sentence. 

Regina abruptly stood from the table. “I’ve given you more than enough of my time. Now I must ask that you leave. I cannot help you.” 

With that said, Regina turned from them and went out the door.

Rue sighed. “Don’t leave. She’ll come around. Leave it to me,” she said. She stood up quickly and followed her mother out the door. 

Emma's head was spinning. This newfound knowledge was too difficult to even comprehend. If Zelena had the power of the Dark One, there’d be no stopping her. It occurred to Emma then that if Zelena truly had this dagger, then her and Walsh’s engagement was pointless. Zelena wouldn’t even need her alive to get what she wanted, and Emma had a sicken feeling that this had been Zelena's plan all along

-x-

“We can find another way.”

Emma paced back and forth, choosing to ignore him. After their unhelpful discussion with the former Queen, Emma had needed a breath of fresh air, but then it started to rain, so she found herself in the stables. For the moment, Killian kept quiet, unsure what she wanted from him. He wanted to ease her pain, he did, but he wanted to go about it in the right way. One wrong word or gesture from him and he knew Emma would shut him out completely. In a perfect world, he would have asked her to run away with him. It was impulsive—a stupid-love sick fantasy—one he knew Emma would never agree to. He let the question die before he could bring it to life. 

“There is no other way,” she snapped, breaking his thoughts.

Her hands sparked—literally. Her magic shot from her hands and ignited a barrel of hay. Killian quickly put it out with his foot. When he looked back up at her, he saw she was fighting back tears. 

“Love.”

She clenched her hands into a fist before covering her face with her hands. “I’m fine. I’m _fine_.”

Her voice told him otherwise. He crossed the stables and pulled her into his arms. To his joy, Emma did not push him away. 

“We will figure this out,” he whispered against the top of her head.

She pulled back slightly to meet his gaze. “You shouldn’t make promises you can’t keep, sailor.”

“In case you haven’t noticed, Emma. I’m extremely self-confident and quite frankly, I do not think I’m capable of losing.”

She gave him a weak smile. “I wish I had your confidence.”

He gently traced her cheek with his thumb. He would have kissed her if the barn door hadn’t creaked open when it did. They pulled away from each other at once, as if they’d been caught doing something they shouldn’t. Robin gave an awkward wave, realizing he had definitely just interrupted a moment between them. 

“I’ve convinced Regina to let you stay the night. There's a port not too far away, but it’s getting dark and the woods can be unfriendly to those who do not know the way.”

Emma nodded, unsure if she should thank him or not. She’d hoped she’d find more answers here. Instead, she just found more. 

“I’m sorry about Regina…she’s…,” Robin trailed off, trying to find the right words. “She’s changed,” he settled with. “The Regina your parents knew is not the same Regina I have come to know and love.”

Emma nodded. Until meeting Regina, she’d always thought people were born wicked. Now she realized that maybe the opposite was true, that maybe wickedness was thrusted upon us.

Emma had no desire to thank him. They hadn’t been helpful. If anything, coming here just added more complexities to her ever growing list of problems. She would have been perfectly content living out the rest of her days never knowing Regina was alive and well. All the same, she could hear her mother’s voice echoing loudly inside her head.

 _Manners, Emma_.

“Thank you,” she managed and Robin nodded his thanks. 

The door of the stables opened again. This time, Rue entered, pulling her mother in by the wrist. When Regina didn’t say anything, Rue gave a dramatic sigh. “ _Mom_. Come on. You promised.”

Regina rolled her eyes. “My daughter insists I help you.”

“Regina—”

Emma tried, but Rue cut her off.

“Hear her out. Please.”

Sighing again, Regina went on. “I may have something that could help you.” Regina opened the palm of her hand to reveal a tiny dried up bean.

Killian perked up, suddenly very intrigued. “A magic bean? Those aren’t easy to come by.”

“It doesn’t matter where I got it. What matters is that you could use it to send Zelena to another realm.”

Regina made it sound so simple, yet Emma didn’t see how she could just _push_ Zelena into a magic portal. Zelena would see her coming a mile away. The witch also had magic of her own. Also, what was to stop Zelena from finding another bean and returning one day?

Sensing her hesitation, Regina went on. “I may also know of a spell that could bind her. It would essentially trap her in this new realm so she couldn’t return to this one. But the spell is powerful. You’d need to find someone powerful enough to cast it.”

 _That was it_ , Killian thought, a light going off in his head.

“Emma,” he said quickly. “The troll didn’t say anything about the dagger helping you defeating Zelena. It said the one who kept the dagger hidden would help.”

Emma finally understood where he was going with this. She too recalled the prophecy. The troll never said anything about them using the dagger to _defeat_ Zelena. 

“Magic. You have magic,” she said, turning to Regina.

“ _Had_ ,” Regina corrected. “I had magic. I am sorry but I can’t fight my sister without it.”

Regina glanced at Robin and her daughter. Emma understood Regina’s unspoken words all too well. She had too much to lose. 

“We also can’t leave,” Robin said, speaking up for his wife all the same. “Even if there was a way for Regina to defeat her sister, if the the kingdom knew she was alive...”

As much as Emma preferred that Regina came with them, she knew the risks were far too great, and she would not ask that of them, especially for the sake of their daughter. The kingdom would not understand.

“You may not have magic, but _I_ do.”

Regina studied her for a moment, no doubt trying to discern if she was telling the truth or not. “Of course you do,” she said after a moment. 

“Only I don’t know how to use it,” Emma admitted, slightly embarrassed. “You may not be able to defeat Zelena, but if I had a tutor to show me how. Well, then maybe....”

“Absolutely not,” Regina said. She said it so sternly, so abruptly that Emma didn’t even know what to say to convince her otherwise. Then Regina gave them all a pointed look, almost daring them to challenge her. When they didn’t, Regina turned and left the stables without a further word. 

The four of them exchanged uncertain looks. Emma suspected Regina got her way more often than not judging from the way Robin and Rue were glancing at each other. Before Emma could suggest a new plan, Regina reentered the stables. 

“We start at dawn. Don’t be late,” she said curtly to Emma and only Emma. 

Emma had no time to thank her. Regina turned on her heels and left them alone once more. 

“Told you she’d come around,” Rue smirked. Robin laughed and threw his arm over his daughter’s shoulders, pulling her in close. 

Killian flashed her a triumphant grin. 

-x-

Later that evening, Regina offered them the only spare room in the cottage. She hadn’t bothered to ask them if they preferred separate rooms, probably having seen enough to know they were closer than mere travel companions. The room was small and because they weren’t accustomed to visitors, they had no real need for a spare bed. Regina placed as many pillows and blankets down on the floor as she could find. 

“It’s not much,” she told them. Regina had too much pride to show her embarrassment. 

“This is perfect. Thank you—”

Regina held up her hand. “No. Don’t do that. We both know I don’t deserve your thanks.”

Emma disagreed. To Emma, Regina and the Evil Queen may as well have been two different people. “Consider it a debt paid then.” 

Regina nodded. The moment of softness didn’t last. Regina composed herself in the blink of an eye. She stood just the slightest bit taller and smoothed out her skirt. “Remember. We start practicing at dawn. Don't be late.”

Emma waited until the door closed before turning back to Killian. She found him already lying on the ground, hands behind his head and eyes wiggling suggestively at her. When he held out his hand, she accepted it without question. She fell onto him with her chin resting against his chest. Even in the dim lighting, she could see the intensity of his blue eyes. It amazed her how a single look could hold so much power.

She wanted to kiss him. She did. She _really_ did, but something nagged in the back of her mind, something she couldn't easily shake.

“How do you and Regina know each other?” she asked him quietly.

Killian sighed, knowing this was coming. Emma rolled off him and onto her side, though still facing him. Killian remained on his back, eyes fixated on the ceiling. “Emma, you have to understand. It was a long time ago.”

“I know. It’s okay. I want to know,” she whispered. Her hand found the chain of necklaces around his neck. She began to fiddle with one he never took off. She knew he had a past. She wasn't ignorant and she wouldn't pretend otherwise. Rumors surrounding him didn’t start out of thin air, after all. Truthfully, she was more curious than concerned. As far as she was aware, Killian had spent the majority of his existence in Neverland. She wanted to know when he ever had time to meet this Evil Queen. 

Killian sighed. “I’d recently come back from Neverland. Regina asked me to kill her mother in exchange for letting me come to this new land of hers. She sold it as a land without magic.”

A land without magic meant Rumpelstiltskin would be powerless. It meant _Regina_ would have been powerless. Emma found it odd that this had been Regina’s intention when casting the Dark Curse. She used to have nightmares about it as a child. In her dreams, her parents sent her to another realm, and she had been left to grow up without a family to call her own. She shuddered. Her dreams, even recalling them now, had felt so real. 

“You knew she was planning to enact the Dark Curse.” She said it as a statement, not as a question. It should have bothered her, him being in cahoots with the Evil Queen. However, the stab of betrayal never came. 

“Aye. She promised me the crocodile would be in this new land of hers. What she failed to mention was that I wouldn’t be going over to this new land with all my memories intact.”

“So you wouldn’t remember your revenge,” Emma finished for him. 

“Aye. But Emma.” He rolled over on his side to face her. “You have to understand. It was a long time ago.”

As she did with Regina, she found herself grouping Killian into two different people: the Killian from the past and the Killian she had come to know and deeply care about. She did have one question though. 

“How are you not ancient by now?" Killian could have told her a thousand times and she wasn’t sure she’d ever fully understand the concept of time literally standing still. He should have lived at least three lifetimes by now. 

He found her question amusing. “You mean how have I kept my dashingly good looks after all these years?” She gave him another eye roll. She could tell he was rather pleased that she wasn't planning on holding his past against him anytime soon. “When the curse failed, I found myself back in Neverland,” he told her honestly.

“You went _back_ to Neverland? But why? You hate that place.”

“I couldn’t let the crocodile’s immortality stop me from seeking out my revenge. If I’d stayed in the Enchanted Forest I would have passed away two centuries ago.” There was something more, she could tell. She chose not to pry. Then Killian shrugged and admitted the whole truth without her needing to ask. “Besides, I caught wind that Baelfire ended up back there.” 

“You care for the boy,” she pointed out.

He wouldn’t deny it. “Aye. Though it's a little complicated that the Dark One is Bae’s father.” Judging from the look on her face then, Killian realized he may have neglected to tell her this teeny _tiny_ little detail. Before she could scowl him, he unloaded everything.

He told her about Milah. About how he met her at a pub one night and asked her to sail away with him. He asked, not knowing she was someone’s wife, not knowing she would be leaving behind a child. Milah only told him a few months out at sea about Baelfire. By the time they had turned around to fetch the child, it was too late. Rumpelstiltskin took him off guard and played him for a fool. He recalled watching helplessly as the crocodile plunged his hand into Milan’s chest and crushed her heart into dust.

Emma could only listen, horrified. Her hand clung to the chain around Killian’s neck a little tighter. The thought of someone taking your heart and crushing it to dust must have been a terrible and painful way to die. Emma shuddered. 

“After Milah…” he struggled with the words. “I struggled with Milah’s death. The rumors about me are mostly true,” his eyes flickered over to hers again, fearing she’d pull away from him with the truth. However, Emma only held onto him a little tighter. 

Emma met his gaze, eyes wide now. “Well,” she said when he was done. “I suppose this makes more sense why you want the dagger so badly.”

Killian’s hand found the curl of her hair. “Aye. Call it what you will, but finding Bae in Neverland was pure chance. I hate to admit it, but I had every intention to hold the boy over his father's head.”

This did not surprise her. Even still, she found it hard to believe that Killian—even in his darkness hour—would have gone through with it. He could argue with her all he wanted, but he had a soft side. Emma had seen it. 

“But I grew fond of the boy,” Killian admitted with a sigh. “It didn’t take me long to realize that Baelfire was not his father. Turns out the boy and I want the same thing when it comes to the Dark One's ultimate demise.”

She could hear the guilt in his voice. “You’re not a bad person, Killian. No one is purely good.”

She was wrong, though. _Emma_ was purely good. He’d caught a glimpse of it when she’d saved his life just the other day. When Emma had saved him, her magic had pierced his heart. He _felt_ the goodness of her soul. It was all things good in the world, the things that made him happiest. It was like sailing the seas on a perfect summer day. It was the smell of rum and feel of the ocean breeze. Her magic was light and nothing but light. 

His eyes flickered up to hers. He’d just spilled all of his secrets to her. She could have ran, could have shut him out. Instead, she remained right by his side, hardly moved an inch. Her hand still fiddled with his necklace. He caught her hand in his.

“It belonged to my brother,” he told her quietly.

“Liam,” she said. He had mentioned Liam on their second day together. Killian hadn't said much. She knew he died and knew he meant a great deal to Killian. She couldn’t imagine losing Leo. His death would break her. “I’m sorry you lost him.” 

“It’s alright, love. It’s not your fault. It was a very long time ago. I wouldn’t be where I am now if it wasn’t for him. I owe him everything.”

She rolled over so her back was against his chest now. Killian wrapped his arm around her, pulling her as close as he physically could. Exhaustion seemed to hit them all at once. The last few days had been nonstop. Emma relaxed into his embrace. Her last thought as she drifted off into a dreamless sleep was that she felt safe, and hadn't felt safe in an awfully long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I have always loved Regina's character. I thought she deserved to not be the villain for once! I actually wanted to make her daughter a lot younger, but thought it wouldn’t make too much sense with the timeline of this story. If I calculated their ages about right, Regina would be around 36 when she enacted the Dark Curse. And since this story takes place twenty years in the future with no curse that’d make her around 56. But then again, math has never been my strong suit, so if I’m wrong, just go with it =)
> 
> Figured I’d stick with the “R” theme for Regina and Robin's daughter. I was so torn naming their daughter Rae instead of Rue. But I thought Rue was cute. *Shrugs*. Not sure if anyone’s seen the show Euphoria. Got it from there (not from Winnie the Pooh).


	7. Friend Like Me

Emma awoke the next morning to Killian placing soft kisses on her neck. She had not moved from the poitions she had fallen asleep in, and found her back still pressed against his chest. Still sleepy, she snuck up her arm up and ran her fingers through his hair. This was a mistake because it just urged his kisses onward. Not that she minded.

“mhmmm,” she hummed. She had no idea what time it was. Judging from the little light spilling in from the window, she suspected it must have been quite early still. 

“Morning, love,” he whispered, sounding much more awake than herself.

She could feel his arousal pressing into the back of her leg. She sunk into his kisses, happily obliging. Her comfort didn’t last long. As she grew more awake, the more yesterday’s event came crashing up towards the surface.

_The troll. The prophecy. Regina._

Emma’s eyes snapped open. A part of her had almost hoped she’d find herself back within the castle's walls. The last few days had felt like nothing more than an odd dream. Killian oblivious to her inner turmoil, continued his onslaught of kisses. Curse him for being so damn good at it too.

“Killian…we can’t,” she muttered, not much effort on her part.

Despite her brain telling her no, she found her hand pulling him closer. That was all the encouragement he needed. Killian’s hand slipped under her shirt. He cupped her breast before slowly drifting south.

“Killian. We—oh. _Oh_ ,” she gasped. His hand had just slipped into her pants. Any thoughts of telling him to stop immediately flew out the window. 

“What was that, love?” he purred against her ear.

Emma bit her lip. Regina was right next door. What if someone heard them? But Killian’s fingers dipped inside her and the argument died on her lips. 

She balled his hair into a fist. “Killian,” she breathed out, slightly louder than intended. 

“Quite love, someone may hear you.”

Emma buried her head in her pillow, hopefully muffling out any sounds of pleasure. As he worked his fingers, Emma decided it wouldn’t hurt anyone if they had a little fun. Her hands quickly shot to her pants, and she shoved them down to her knees. She wanted him, needed him and she wanted him now. 

She could feel her magic calling to her. It ignited something deep inside her soul, aching to be let out. She pushed it back down, remembering the candles she had ignited the last time they had sex. The last thing she needed was to set Regina’s whole house on fire. 

“Easy love.”

“Killian. I want you.”

Killian did not need to be told twice. He pulled his hand away from her center only briefly to pull down his own pants. Emma began to turn around, but he kept her in place, back to him. Very slowly, he guided himself into her from behind. Emma gasped as she adjusted to him, all of him. 

Whereas before their times together had been slow, yearning. This time it was urgent, desperate and needing. When he thrusted into her, he could have come undone right then and there, and it took extra effort on his part to not do just that. He steadied himself with his hands against her hips, focusing on the sound of her breathing. He wasn’t going to last long, he knew, so he reached down in between her legs and began to stroke her there. She tightened at his touch and he knew she wouldn’t last long either. 

They came together a moment later, both panting heavily. 

They laid in a comfortable silence for a moment, listening to the sounds of nature right outside their bedroom window. There was something incredibly peaceful and relaxing listening to the song of birds and the rustling of the leaves.

And then Emma just had to go and ruin it with her next thought.

She didn’t know why the thought popped into her head when it did, but she suddenly found herself thinking of her first night on the Jolly Roger. She tried to lock it away; however, now that it was there, she couldn’t think of anything else. 

_Have you ever been in love?_

The image was so clear in her mind. She had no trouble recalling the intensity of Killian’s gaze or the way his leather coat smelt of the ocean breeze. With these thoughts, came the call of magic that sang its own song beneath her skin. She clenched her hand into a fist and squeezed her eyes shut. 

No. 

She couldn’t go there. She wouldn’t. She had never been in love, it was true. But this—whatever this was—this thing between her and Killian was just a fling, nothing more. Killian was fun. He was easy. However, she couldn’t deny that when she was with him the whole world seemed to disappear beneath her feet. 

“Love?” 

As if on queue, her magic sparked in protest.

It took her a moment to realize the words came from the Killian next to her and not from the Killian in her mind. She rolled out from under his arm and off the makeshift bed. She hoped he wouldn’t notice her abrupt change in mood. He did though. Of course he did.

“Everything okay?”

She somehow managed to compose herself. Then she turned back to him and gave him a reassuring smile. “Of course. I doubt Regina is keen to tardiness is all.” Killian didn’t completely buy it, but her smile was enough for him to not question her further about it. He fell back onto their makeshift bed, leaving her alone with her thoughts. 

“If you’re sure, love.”

She bent over and pecked him on the lips for good measure. “Go back to sleep. It’s early.”

“I’ll await patiently for your return, love,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows at her. She smacked him with a pillow on her way out the door. 

-x-

It took Emma a few minutes to find Regina. She found a note in the kitchen, simply stating ‘outside’ and nothing else. Emma found Regina outside by a wishing well, a good distance from the house. The sun was just barely beginning to rise. The air was crisp and she almost wished she had something warmer to wear. Her magic felt alive and ready beneath her skin.

“Sleep well?” Regina asked and Emma turned her head so Regina wouldn’t see the warmth spreading across her cheeks. 

“I did. Thank you.”

“Well,” Regina said, jumping straight to the point. “Let’s get to it. This way.”

Regina led Emma past the wishing well and into the woods. Emma hesitated slightly at the forest’s edge. When Regina realized Emma had not followed her, Regina rolled her eyes—a gesture Emma was beginning to accept as one of Regina’s many trademarks.

“Oh for Merlin’s sake. I’m not going to kill you.”

Well, you couldn’t blame her. Not after everything Regina had put her parents through. 

Emma followed Regina deep into the woods. Eventually they came to what Emma could only describe as a tomb of some sort. Regina tapped one of the rocks and a door creaked open. Emma could just make out a set of stairs and nothing else. They descending into unending darkness. Emma swallowed the lump in her throat. A hiss caught her attention and she found Regina lighting a tree branch with nothing but her _hand_. 

“I thought you didn’t have magic anymore.”

“I don’t,” Regina huffed, pushing past her. “At least not much. It never goes away completely. This is about all I can do now,” Regina said in a way that left very little room for argument. 

With the flame in her hand, Regina took the lead. Emma clutched the tomb’s wall, suddenly wishing she’d at least told Killian where Regina planned on taking her. 

“What is this place?”

“When the curse backfired, I was able to salvage some of my belongings.” 

By _belongings_ Emma suspected Regina meant _potions_. The stairs led to a small round room filled with nothing but shelves. On these shelves sat potions and other objects that Emma never would have pegged as magical. As Regina placed the torch on a handle, something in Emma’s magic sparked to life. She turned towards the calling and found herself staring at a leather bound book.

“That, along with some other enchanted objects I’ve found over the years. It’s not much.” She turned back to Emma accusingly. “Don’t touch anything.”

Emma immediately dropped her hand. The call of magic she’d felt a moment before died at Regina’s command. 

“If I’m not suppose to touch anything how am I suppose to learn?”

“The same way I did with Rumpel—”

“Wait. Rumpelstiltskin taught you magic?” No wondered Regina went dark. 

Regina ignored her. “We are first going to start with a solid foundation and then build your skills from the ground up…I said. Don’t touch anything,” Regina said and Emma jumped. 

Regina snapped the book away from her hand. Emma hadn’t even remembered picking it up. She watched helplessly as Regina began to flip through the book. Eventually Regina stopped on a page filled with unfamiliar symbols—symbols that had Emma’s head spinning. 

“What language is that?” What she really wanted to ask was, _‘is that even a language?’_ But she thought that the question would just earn her another eye roll from the former Queen, so she let it drop.

“Let’s start with roots for incantations.”

“Regina… I know you mean well. But I don’t see how this is going to work. I can’t even read this.” That earned her another frown. Emma felt as if they were going in circles. “How did…Rumpelstiltskin—” his name felt weird on her lips “Teach you?”

Regina snapped the book shut. “You think Rumpelstiltskin coddled his students? If he tried to teach you how to swim and you couldn’t learn, well then you drowned,” Regina said this with a shrug, as if it was perfectly normal to let your students _die_

Emma suddenly found herself pitying Regina's former self. Emma wondered what could have possibly caused Regina to turn to the Dark One for help, and she was too afraid to ask.

Emma sighed, seeing no other way. “Fine. Let’s try your way.”

So they did.

Emma had not realize before, not truly, how exhausting magic could be. They had spent the better half of the morning bickering with each other and her frustration for the former Queen was only beginning to grow. And as Regina shouted out weird phrases and misplaced syllables, Emma just thought her head may split into two.

“You need to concentrate.”

“I. Am. Concentrating,” Emma said through gritted teeth. If looks could kill, Regina would have died nearly the moment they started.

Emma felt disgusting, and she didn’t say that lightly. She’d never been one to shy away from dirt or a little mud. She enjoyed horseback riding, hiking and even sword fighting. This, however, was anything but enjoyable. She found herself sweating in places she didn’t even know existed. 

Emma held out her hand, not entirely sure it helped. Regina had her levitating rocks now. They’d just moved on from lighting a candle, only after Regina decided they could move on—and not because Regina thought she was ready for the next step. Oh no. Regina had simply grown tired of Emma failing to do _exactly_ as she asked. 

The thing was though, Emma had lit the candle. She just hadn’t lit it to Regina’s liking. The flame was either too large, too bright, or too small. Regina made her practice lighting the candle until she got it just right. Emma didn’t understand why it mattered how she lit the stupid fucking candle, only that she had lit it. 

Regina pinched the bridge of her nose. “You have to trust yourself otherwise this is never going to work.”

“You’re making me angry,” Emma snapped. Her hand was shaking and she wasn’t sure if it was from pure exhaustion or if it was her magic protesting.

“Good. If I’m upsetting you, what do you think Zelena’s going to do?”

She had a point. It made her angrier that Regina was right. Something powerful rushed to her fingertips. Without thinking, she let it go. Miraculously, the rock hovered a good foot above the air—for several minutes too—before her magic crapped out on her. The rock fell with a thud and Emma collapsed to the ground along with it. 

If anything, this training session gave her little hope in her ability to defeat Zelena. In the last few hours, she’d only managed to light a candle and move one tiny rock. These two simple tasks had her nearly spent. 

“I don’t see how any of this is going to help me stop Zelena. I’m not powerful enough.”

“You don’t need to out power my sister. You just need to outwit her,” Regina reminded her. “The most important thing about magic is that you learn how to control it.”

Easy for her to say. Regina wasn’t the one who had to take on a Wicked Witch. Emma sat on the ground, her back against a tree. She shut her eyes, thankful for a break to catch her breath. Regina was ruthless—she’d give her that. She had all the qualities of a strong leader—determined, strong, capable. She just went about everything the wrong way. Emma couldn’t help but wonder if in another life if Regina would have made for a good ruler or not.

“Here.”

Emma peaked open an eye. Regina was offering her a cup of water—an olive branch. Emma took it gratefully. 

“Can I ask you something,” Emma said, panting heavily. She never anticipated that magic could leave her so breathless. It felt like she’d just climbed the stairs to the highest tower in the castle. Twice.

“You’re going to ask it anyway, so ask.”

“If you had the Dark One’s dagger at one point, why didn’t you take back the kingdom. You could have.”

Regina grew very quiet. “I thought about it,” she told her honestly. 

“What changed your mind?”

The smallest of smiles tugged at the corner of Regina’s lips, and Emma couldn’t help but think how much prettier this Regina looked than the portraits she had seen of the Evil Queen. “Robin,” she said matter-of-factly. “Truthfully, after I lost my powers, I had very little will to live. If it wasn’t for Robin and Rue…I don’t know where I’d be today.” 

Emma nodded, thinking. What made a villain? If Regina was capable of changing, then perhaps Zelena was capable as well. The question was out of her mouth before she could tell herself otherwise. “Do you think we could—”

“No,” Regina cut her off. “I know what you’re thinking and the answer is no. Not everyone is capable of changing.”

Emma frowned. “But you don’t even know your sister.”

“Trust me on this one.” 

Emma let out another sigh and let it drop. She didn’t think she’d be changing Zelena’s attitude anytime soon. However, Emma also never would have guessed that the Evil Queen would have been capable of changing either, and yet, here they were.

“So. You and Jones?” Regina asked, amused.

Emma could feel her cheeks going warm at the mention of Killian's name. “I trust him. He brought me to Arendelle. He didn’t have to.”

“Of course he brought _you_ there.”

“What’s that suppose to mean?”

“Seriously? You’re going to pretend no one sees the yearning looks and doey eyes?”

Emma frowned, fidgeting. “I don’t yearn.”

To that, Regina smirked. “Perhaps not. But _he_ does.”

Emma’s cheeks were flamed now, she could feel it, and all she could think about were Killian’s words, ringing loudly in her head. _Have you ever been in love?_ Her magic nearly sparked—she was beginning to recognize the signs—so she shoved that quickly back down. She would not give Regina the satisfaction. 

“It’s…complicated,” she finally admitted. 

Satisfied, Regina stood back up. “Break is over.”

Emma groaned. 

Regina held out her hand. As Emma took it, she couldn’t help but think that the best friendships came from the ones you were least expecting. 

-x-

Snow and Charming followed the Jolly Roger to the next port over. David chose not to dock their own ship. Rather, they kept a safe distance anchored in the bay. David feared what the Pirate Captain would do if they sailed too close. He didn’t want to spook them off and risk a battle so close to town. He ultimately decided to wait for the pirate crew to set sail again.

Only the pirates didn’t set sail. 

The first night made sense. The second day puzzled him. When they failed to set sail on the third day, David knew something was up. He just wasn’t sure what exactly. They were now going into their fourth day.

David held a spyglass to get a better look at the ship. He’d been watching the Jolly Roger closely, and by now, he was convinced that Captain Jones and Emma were not on that ship. It was possible his daughter was hidden somewhere below deck, though that didn’t account for the Captain’s whereabouts. He didn’t think a pirate captain would be able to remain hidden for that long. 

“Well. What are you waiting for,” Walsh complained. “Shouldn’t you go and fetch her. They are _right_ there.”

In the very least, David had decided that under no circumstances was he letting his daughter marry this bimbo. War be damned. He decided they’d find another way to protect their kingdom. He found himself wishing that he’d never agreed to the proposal in the first place. 

David did not want to voice his own concerns to Walsh. “We must wait,” he insisted, doing his best to sound sure of himself. “I don’t want to risk spooking them.”

Walsh rolled his eyes. Bored, he fell back from the railing and went below deck.

“We can’t let her marry him, you know,” Snow said, coming up from behind him. 

“Over my dead body,” David agreed. 

“Have you seen them yet?” 

He could hear the longing in her voice. They both desperately wished to catch a glimpse of their daughter, if only to see that she was okay. 

David shook his head. “They can’t be far,” he kept his voice down low. “His crew is docked here. They are clearly waiting for something.” 

"Or someone," Snow echoed his own thoughts out loud.

Neither of them could shake the feeling that something wasn’t quite right. If David was being completely truthful, he was beginning to suspect Emma was behind this whole mess to being with. He just needed to figure out a way to reach her before Walsh or Zelena did. 

“David, what in the world are we going to do?”

David eyed the ship with dismay. An idea had planted inside his head. He didn’t think Snow would like it, and yet, he didn’t see any other options at this point. 

“I have an idea.” 

-x-

The sun was just beginning to set on their third day. Emma and Regina had just finished their lessons. She wasn’t great—far from it—but she had at least improved. She could light a candle—to Regina’s liking—and levitate some rocks—also to Regina's liking. She even managed to make one disappear and reappear with the snap of her fingers. The more she practiced, the easier magic came to her. She was by no means ready to take on Zelena, but it was at least a start. 

Emma found Killian sparring with Robin while Rue practiced archery off to the side. The girl hit her target, right in the center, and Emma wondered if it had been Mulan or Robin who had taught her this skill. The girl’s face lit up when she saw them approaching. The girl threw down her bow and ran the rest of the way to them. 

“How’d it go?” Rue asked hopeful. 

“Exhausting,” Emma told the girl honestly.

“Magic. Is _so_ cool. I wish I had powers.”

“No. You don’t,” Regina told her matter-of-factly. Before her daughter could protest, Regina added, “Nothing ever good has come of it.” She turned to Emma. “No offensive.”

“None taken.” 

Rue’s demeanor changed all at once, and she adopted Regina’s scowl. “I still think magic is cool,” she muttered under breath.

“All magic comes with a price.”

Rue looked as if she wanted to protest some more, though ultimately decided against it. “Your mother is right,” Robin said, coming up from behind his daughter. He placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a comforting, fatherly squeeze.

“You’ll survive just fine without it I am sure,” Regina told her dryly. Rue let her eye roll do all the talking. “Why don’t you go tend to the fire.”

“Fine,” Rue said in only the way a teenager could.

They watched her go. Killian approached them, eyebrows raised in question as Rue stomped off. “Do I want to know?” he asked, walking over to Emma. 

He’d long since took off his coat and vest. He wore only a thin black tunic now and had his sleeves rolled up, revealing several of his tattoos. He clearly had been exercising several hours from the looks of it. It wasn’t fair how attractive he looked in that moment, and then there was her, a disgusting mess of sweat and dirt. 

“I didn’t want her to go down the same path I did. I made sure of it,” Regina told them once Rue was out of earshot. 

Regina didn’t have to say anything more. It did make Emma wonder about herself. After all these years, why show signs of magic now? Before she could voice her question, Rue let out a squeal and their heads snapped in her direction. 

A young, hansom man with curly dark hair approached the group. Killian’s hand shot to his belt, only to realize he left his cutlass in the grass where they had been sparring. It mattered little in the end, for their intruder was anything but. Rue raced towards the young man and launched herself into his arms. 

“Roland! I thought you weren’t returning for another month?”

“I had a change of heart.” 

Robin embraced him next. Even Regina offered the young man a hug. He was too old to be Regina's son, though the resemblance between Robin and the young male was uncanny. When they were done with their hugs, Emma gave him an awkward wave. Roland raised an eyebrow, glancing skeptically between Emma and Killian. 

“Roland. Please meet our house guests, Princess Emma of Misthaven and Captain Killian Jones." Robin gestured towards them. "Emma. Killian. I’d like you to meet my son, Roland.”

“Huh,” Roland said, clearly recognizing the two of them. 

“Yeah. It’s a long story,” Robin offered. 

Roland shrugged. Then he gestured towards the dead boar behind him. “Anyone hungry?” 

They built a fire that night. It burned bright and high. Robin broke out a bottle of rum—much to Killian’s delight—and it didn’t take them long to get drunk off it. Even Rue managed to sneak a swig of liquor every now and then when Regina wasn’t looking. Only Killian saw, though pretended not to notice. 

“Captain Killian Jones,” Roland said, his voice slurring on their own accord. They had long since filled him in on their little adventure. The twenty-something-year old was more enamored with the pirate life than horror struck to be in his very presence. “Well, I’ll be.” 

“The Jolly Roger could always use a helping hand, lad,” Killian offered. 

“I think I’m better suited for the woods,” Roland told him honestly, though flashed him a triumphant grin all the same. 

“Suit yourself, lad.”

“I think it’s fascinating. How exciting would it be to go wherever you want, whenever you want,” Rue jumped in, memorized at the thought. 

“The Jolly Roger does not discriminate, lass”

“Really?” She asked, eyes lighting up at the prospect.

Robin choked on his rum at that offer. Killian slapped his back. Knowing the older man didn’t like where the conversation was going, Killian added, “Perhaps when you’re a little older, though.” Killian shot her a harmless wink all the same and the girl turned bright red. 

Emma watched the four of them from across the fire. She sat next to Regina in a comfortable silence. The rum eased her mind, gave her a sense of false discomfort. She couldn’t remember ever having enjoyed a nice home cooked meal around a fire before. She grew up in fancy kitchens with over the top feasts. She felt robbed of a normaler, simpler childhood. 

“I don’t get it,” Emma spoke up quietly. 

“Get what?”

“Why my powers came to only now?” 

“It is particular,” Regina agreed, seemingly thinking it through. “It’s possible your parents suppressed it somehow.” Something must have crossed her mind. “Unless…” her voice trailed off.

“Unless what?” 

Regina shook her head. “It’s nothing.” 

Emma had no intention to let her get away that easily. However, Killian plopped himself right on the ground next to her and her question died on her lips. 

“Killian,” she said, pointedly. 

When he grinned at her, she found herself grinning right back, the conversation with Regina already forgotten. 

“Miss me yet, love?”

Regina let out an indignant noise. Emma thought she could hear her eye roll. “That’s my queue to leave.” Regina stood without another word and moved places next to Rue. 

When she was gone, Killian took Emma’s hand in his. She glanced over to him. His eyes glazed over lazily with rum. “What’s wrong captain? Can’t hold your liquor?” She whispered so the others wouldn’t hear. 

Killian grinned, remembering the night they first met. “As I recall, love. It was _you_ who couldn’t handle it,” he said this with a pop. 

He was eyeing her with a look of such intensity, she had to look away, well aware they had company. “Is that a challenge?” she asked in spite of herself.

His eyebrows shot up, amused. He leaned over and whispered in her ear. “What do you say, love? Shall we call it a night?”

Perhaps it was the rum or perhaps it was the intensity of his gaze. She suddenly cared very little where they were and who they were with. Emma stood at once, pulling him with her. They announced their goodnights quickly. If the others suspected anything, they didn’t comment on it, though Emma didn't miss the smirk Regina attempted to hide behind her glass.

When Killian could no longer see the glow of the fire, he scooped Emma up over his shoulder. 

She let out an uncharacteristic squeal, which she blamed on the rum. “Killian,” she laughed. 

He carried her through the front door and straight to their guest room. The moment it was closed, he had her pressed up against the back of it. She pulled away slightly, a tipsy grin on her lips. “I think you’re the one who can’t handle it,” she told him. 

“Try me,” he rasped out against her neck. 

“Gladly.”

Needless to say, she won the challenge. 

-x-

They ended up staying four nights, way longer than either of them had anticipated. They’d already outstayed their welcome. Robin was kind enough to send word of their whereabouts to Killian’s crew. 

“Are you sure you can’t stay?” Rue asked sadly. She hated to see them leave.

The sun was just beginning to set. The sky was a brilliant canvas of orange and pink hues. Emma would have stayed for months if time was on her side. Without her, there was no engagement to Walsh, and no engagement meant no alliance. Emma feared who Zelena would take her anger out on if she never returned. 

Emma embraced Rue. “I really wish we could.” 

She wasn’t prepared to take on Zelena. Not in the slightest. But she had much more to hope for than she had three days ago. Still, she didn’t exactly have a plan in casting Zelena out of their life, but the knowledge she gained from Regina was a start. 

“Before I forget.” Regina pulled out a small pouch and placed it in Emma’s hand. “It’s the magic bean. It’ll only work once so use it wisely.” 

Emma griped the pouch with the utmost care. The bean was nearly dried up, though she could feel the faintest sliver of magic calling out to her. She handed the bean to Killian who tucked it safely in his pocket. 

“Do you remember the spell?”

Emma had it written down, tucked away in the back of her pants. Regina had made her go over it so much she could recite it with her eyes closed now. “I do.”

It mattered little. Emma still had yet to master the strange sounds and syllables on her tongue. Emma had the power, she just didn’t have the experience, and she feared what would become of her family if she couldn’t master the spell by the time they returned home. 

"You don’t have to out power her, you just have to outwit her," Regina reminded her for the hundredth time.

Over the course of their training, Regina had pounded these words into Emma’s head until she almost believe them herself. 

“I can’t believe I’m about to admit this, but it was nice meeting you, Emma,” Regina said, no trace of a lie.

Emma’s head snapped up. “Regina, when all this is over. I’m going to clear your name.”

Her statement clearly took the former Queen aback. Emma was surprised to see Regina let down her walls, even if only for a moment. “No. I don’t deserve that”

Emma shook her head and took Regina’s hand in hers. “Regina, the truth is, you were never the villain in my story.”

-x-

David and Snow waited until just before dusk to procure one of the lifeboats. If there was anything to say about Walsh, it was that he was a man who abided to a set and certain schedule. Right at six o’clock, Walsh announced he was retiring to his quarters for dinner. He was not to be disturbed. 

Snow quietly spread the word that her and David would be traveling to shore and that under no circumstances was Walsh to discover their whereabouts. To ensure Walsh would not be interrupting them anytime soon, Snow had asked the chef to slip a sleeping plant into the man’s tea. Walsh would be out until dawn at least.

It didn’t take them more than an hour to reach the shore. The Jolly Roger looked far larger up close than it did from the bay. David immediately recognized it as an old navy ship, and he wondered when the pirate captain had stolen it. 

David and Snow were crouched behind several barrels now. The Jones's crew didn’t seem to be in any particular hurry to leave port. They sat around the ship, lazily. Some came and went as they pleased. It was apparent they were waiting for something or someone. 

Emma and the Captain were nowhere in sight.

The moment the sun dipped below the horizon, several members of the crew stumbled down the gangplank, likely in search for a pub. When they saw a young boy no more than fourteen lingering in the back, they acted on impulse. Snow jumped out from behind a barrel, blocking his path.

The boy gave a startled yelp at her sudden appearance. He blinked, realizing it was a trap a moment too late. Before he could announce their presence, David pounced on the kid from behind and easily pulled the boy behind the barrel, out of sight from the others. 

“We aren’t going to hurt you,” Snow told him hurriedly. The kid eyed the sword in her hand with dismay. It was mostly for appearance but he didn’t need to know that. “You have to promise not to scream. Okay?” Snow gave David a quick head nod and he released his hold. “What’s your name.”

“Bae—” The boy stuttered. “Baelfire,” he said again, stronger. “My name is Baelfire.”

David heard the name before, though he couldn’t quite place exactly where he heard it from. 

“We are just looking for our daughter.”

The boy swallowed the lump in his throat. “You're…you're Emma’s parents,” he said.

“We are.”

The boy blinked. Snow could see the inner turmoil dancing across his eyes, no doubt trying to decide if lying was worth a possible stab to the gut. He ultimately decided not to risk his chances of getting stabbed. “We dropped the Captain and Emma off in Arendelle a few days ago. They are to meet us here.”

David found it particular the boy used Emma’s given name—as if they were friends—and not her title. He spoke as if he knew her, not as if she was a hostage on their ship. 

“Do you know where they went?” He tried again. The boy shook his head. “Do you know _why_ they left?” Again, the boy shook his head. David’s annoyance only grew. The kid was far from helpful. 

“David. We should wait here.” 

The boy shoved himself away from them. When he stood, he causally brushed the dirt from his pants. “Then you might as well wait for them on the ship,” the kid said matter-of-factly.

Snow and David’s heads snapped towards the boy, now confused more than ever. They thought they would have had to threaten the boy to tell them where Emma had gone. However, Baelfire just shrugged. “We caught wind from a friend of a friend. The Captain and Emma should be returning sometime tonight, ” he said simply. 

\- x-

The sun had just set when Emma and Killian approached the docks. As Robin had informed them, the Jolly Roger was there, though not much of his men were out and about. To be safe, they hid their faces with hooded cloaks. If Mulan had spotted them in the woods, then it was highly likely others would be looking for them as well. Because of this, Emma almost expected reaching the Jolly Roger would prove more difficult than it actually had. In the end, it was rather uneventful. No one paid them much attention as they boarded the ship. Killian looked around, puzzled. 

“Captain!”

They turned to see Baelfire. He looked rather out of sorts.

“Where is everybody?”

“The pub. But Captain there’s something you should know.” Baelfire shot Emma a nervous look. His cheeks flushed red.

“What is it?”

“You have visitors.”

Emma and Killian exchanged a look.

“Visitors? Who?” Killian demanded, voice stern.

Baelfire shook his head. “Just…visitors. They’re waiting for you in your cabin.”

Emma didn’t wait for him to finish. She was off, leaving Killian scrambling to catch up to her. He caught her arm and pulled her to a stop. “Emma. Wait. Let me—”

Emma shook him off her, pushing past him. She had a strong suspicion she knew exactly who was waiting for them. She slid down the ladder into the cabin with ease. Killian followed closely behind.

“Emma?” An all too familiar voice spoke. 

Emma could have cried. Never had she been so happy to see her parents. She rushed towards them and threw herself into their arms. They held her tight, under the silver beams of moonlight. Her father’s hand came to rest behind her head.

“We are so happy to see you,” her father whispered, brushing tears from his eyes. 

Killian cleared his throat. He stood awkwardly by the entrance, no doubt seeking a quick getaway if needed. Snow and David turned towards his direction. Before her dad could defend her honor, she stepped back and looped her arm through Killian’s.

“Mom. Dad. There’s someone I’d like you to meet.”

Killian held out his hand. “Captain Killian Jones at your service.” When David failed to shake his hand, Killian let it drop awkwardly to his side.

“Yeah,” her dad cut him off curtly. “We know who you are.”

Snow’s eyes darted between the pirate captain and her daughter. If it wasn’t apparent to them before, then it was quite obvious to them now: the pirate captain had never taken Emma hostage. 

“Care to tell us what’s going on?”

“Where would you like me to start?” Emma asked sheepishly. 

“At the beginning.”

To her parent’s credit, they didn’t interrupt her once. When she finished, David turned to Killian first. Emma could see he was struggling to take it all in, to accept her story as the truth. 

“You did all that for Emma?” he asked, the slightest hint of awe gracing his tone. 

Killian shrugged. “Have I won you over yet?”

David’s facial expression immediately formed into a frown. “Let’s not get carried away. You’re still a pirate.”

“Ah. Yes. An excellent observation.” 

Emma shot him a glare. He wasn’t helping. Killian’s gaze immediately softened at her scowl.

While Snow had remained awfully quiet up to that point, her subtle glances between her and Killian were _loud_. Emma could practically see her mother putting the pieces together. She was thankful that the room was dark enough her parents would not see her flush. 

“Emma. I just wished you would have told us,” Snow said eventually. “We could have helped you.”

“Do you really think we’d let you marry Walsh?” David added. 

Emma just stared at them, dumbstruck. Obvious she had or she wouldn’t have made this journey in the first place. 

“It doesn’t matter,” Snowed added. She walked over to her daughter and took her hand in hers. “What matters is that you're safe.” Then she turned to Killian. “Thank you. You had no obligation to help us.”

“Where’s Leo?” Emma asked. They couldn’t have possibly left him back with Zelena. Their pained expressions told her otherwise. “You can’t be serious! Are you guys _insane_!?”

“Hey,” David shouted. “We weren’t the ones that went and asked a pirate to kidnap us. What did you expect us to do Emma? We were worried sick.”

Emma couldn’t remember the last time her father had truly yelled at her and she found herself unable to speak. 

“Do you have any idea what we were going through?”

In what should have been a joyous reunion, Emma only felt annoyed. Did they actually think she asked for any of this? She had only been trying to help her kingdom, not make their problems worse. Her and Regina’s conversation from the night before popped into her head. 

_They could have suppressed it somehow._

Her magic jolted to life at the thought. 

“Did you know?” she asked them quietly.

“Know what?” her mother asked, feigning innocent, but there was something in her tone and Emma just knew. 

“Gods above! You did know!” Emma pointed an accusing finger at them. Emma could sense her magic bubbling up to the surface, calling to be let out. This time, she did not bother shoving it back down. “Has everything you told me been a lie? Magic? Regina? The Dark Curse?”

“Emma—” her mother tried, but Emma couldn’t stop. 

David turned to his wife, a look of confusion on his face. “Wait, Regina? What about Regina?” And Emma thought that maybe she wasn’t the only one who had been kept in the dark after all these years.

“Emma,” her mother said, somehow managing to sound stern, yet calm. “You need to calm down.”

The last thing she needed was someone telling her to calm down. It only sparked her anger tenfold. “You knew and didn’t say anything.” Her shout ended with a spark. Her parents both jumped at the noise. One by one, the candles in the room began to ignite themselves.

Killian was immediately at her ear. “Easy, love,” he whispered.

That earned him a death glare from her father. If looks could only kill. 

But Killian’s voice was enough, and her magic fell to a quiet hum. She took his hand in hers, not caring that her parents were there to witness it. 

Fuck titles. 

It must have taken all of her father’s willpower not to say anything. From the way he was eyeing their entwined hands, she knew they’d be having a conversation about it at a later time. For now, her parents let it drop.

“Emma,” Snow spoke up, her voice almost annoyingly calm. “We never told you about the night Regina casted the Dark Curse for a reason.”

“Snow…”

Snow shook her head. “David. Now is not the time. Emma’s right. She’s old enough to know. We never should have kept this from you or Leo.” Snow turned back to her daughter. “The curse Regina had tried to cast twenty years ago didn’t just fail. It failed because your father and I made a deal with Rumpelstiltskin.”

Emma felt as if her parents had just pulled a rug out from under her. Killian stiffened from beside her. 

“No. Tell me you didn’t.”

“We did. He promised us he could stop the curse on two conditions. The first being we let him go.” 

Killian didn’t try to hide his annoyance now. “You let the bloody crocodile _escape_? Are you mad?”

Snow ignored him. “The second involved stripping you away of your magic.”

Emma opened her mouth, at lost for words. When her parents had made the deal, she hadn’t even been born yet. They hadn’t full understood the terms of their deal until it was too late. 

“We were so afraid. Emma, you have to understand, we just wanted to keep you safe. We never told you because we didn’t think you had magic anymore.”

Emma glanced down at her hands, suddenly unsure of herself. Did her parents see magic as evil? After everything that happened with Regina, she wouldn’t have blamed them. “Blue told me I needed to unlock it,” she told them quietly. 

Snow walked right up to her daughter and pulled her in close “Oh Emma. I’m so grateful that you did.”

“All magic comes with a price,” Emma told her with a weak smile.

Something of recognition flashed across her mother’s eyes. She didn’t comment on it though.

“Oh Emma. We love you for _you_. Don't you ever forget that,” her mother told her. Emma nodded, a single tear escaped and fell to the floor. 

Emma thought the truth would set her free. She realized now that that thought had been a foolish dream. She knew her parents loved her, she did, and yet she couldn’t shake the sense of unease that sat between them now. For her parents, nothing good had ever come from magic. _Regina. Rumpelstiltskin. Zelena._ All had power and all had went dark. Did she have the potential to become like them?

Her parents didn’t have to say anything. She knew it worried them. If it hadn't, they never would have made the deal with Rumpelstiltskin all those years ago.

“So. Find anything useful on this journey of yours?” David asked, changing the subject.

Emma wanted to mention Regina but ultimately thought against it. She figured Regina’s quaint life was better left unsaid. Whoever said villains couldn’t receive their happy endings was beside her. Besides, Regina wasn’t their problem anymore, and she didn’t want to add to her parents’ stress. 

“Aye,” Killian said, speaking for her. “We have a plan.”


	8. Hellfire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ALRIGHT. This chapter is A LOT. It’s long. It’s angsty. This was just one of those chapters that just took a life of its own. You’ve been warned. Hope you enjoy.
> 
> Bonus points to anyone who can name the movie that this chapter’s name is from.

Their plan was to take the Jolly Roger back to the castle.

Together. 

David sent word to his own crew, asking them to meet him and Snow there in a few days time. Walsh was not to be distributed with the news. The less the man knew the better. Zelena may have had magic and the Dark One’s dagger, but they at least held the element of surprise. And that was enough. 

It had to be enough. 

They left port in the middle of the night to ensure that Walsh would sleep through their departure and because of that, Killian had gotten very little sleep. He yawned. 

“You should get some rest.”

Killian glanced over his shoulder only to find Emma's father standing behind him, staring at him with a look of dismay. As far as he was aware, the Charmings were sleeping in his quarters. Apparently not.

“Thanks mate, but I’ll be fine.”

Tired did not make him incapable, and he had no plans in turning over the Jolly Roger to this man—king or no king. However, much to Killian’s annoyance, David did not leave. It wasn’t that Killian didn’t like Emma’s father, he just didn’t trust someone who didn’t trust him. 

“About you and Emma,” David began

Oh, bloody hell. 

He knew the conversation would come up eventually. He just figured the man would wait until after they knocked Zelena from the picture to breach the subject. 

“You’re quite the distrustful fellow. Aren’t you?”

“When it comes to pirates. Yes I am.” A pained expression crossed the man’s features then. “But I didn’t come up here to argue right or wrong, Killian. I came up here to _thank_ you.”

Killian blinked in surprise. Then, standing just the slightest bit straighter, he gave the king a triumphant grin. “Ah! So I am winning you over after all?” 

“Let’s just…get back to the castle and then we can discuss terms.” 

Killian grew quiet. He had no moral obligations towards the king, and yet he found himself compelled to tell the man that this wasn’t just a game to him. “Mate. If I can ensure you of anything, it’s that you and I both want the same thing. To ensure Emma’s safety.”

-x-

_Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit._

Leo found himself pacing back and forth in the small cell. He had lost all sense of time in the darkness. It could have been mere minutes or even hours before he finally accepted the fact that he was fucked. He inspected each bar of the cell and found not one loose end. Even the floorboards didn’t budge. 

Leo was so angry. So fucking angry. No. He was enraged. Enraged at his parents for leaving him with Zelena. Enraged at Emma for coming up with this stupid plan to begin with. Enraged at Zelena for even existing.

“FUCK!” He screamed it at the top of his lungs. 

At that, something jolted to life inside of him. Before he could think on it, a blinding light shot from the palm of his hands. The power of the blast lifted him off his feet and sent him flying into the handlebars behind him. 

Leo laid slouched against the bars for a moment, torn between confusion and horror. He starred at the hole in the cell he had just created with _his hands_ in utter disbelief. If it wasn’t for the hum beneath his skin or his smoking hands—literally, his hands were smoking—he would have thought he had truly lost his mind. 

Well. That was unexpected. 

As cool as he thought it was that he just torpedoed his way out of the cell, he also didn’t find it exactly comforting. Leo shook his hands to clear the smoke and stumbled to his feet.

 _All magic comes with a price,_ Rumpelstiltskin’s voice echoed inside his head.

Nope. He wouldn’t—couldn’t—dwell on it. He needed to get off the ship and fast. 

-x-

By mid-morning, Killian handed the wheel over to Floki and Alice—the only two people he truly trusted with his ship. They were making good time back to Misthaven. If the winds kept up, they would reach it in less than two days. There was no sign of any other ship on the horizon, and Killian found himself hopeful. 

Killian found Emma with Baelfire in the crew’s sleeping quarters. To his amusement, they were doing pull ups. 

“Captain!” Bae exclaimed when he saw him, slightly out of breath. 

“What are you two doing?”

“Preparing for a fight,” Emma grunted. He counted each time she managed to lift her chip above the bar. Needless to say, he was impressed. Some men on his ship wouldn’t have been able to do what she had just done.

“Baelfire. Do you mind checking in with Emma’s parents. Make sure they don’t need anything.”

“Aye aye, Captain!” Baelfire said, and he quickly scurried from the room. 

Emma, out of breath, dropped from the bar and landed on her feet in front of him. 

“What’s really going on, love.”

“I needed a break from my mother,” she admitted with a sheepish smile. Killian raised an eyebrow. “She was questioning on me what _this_ is?” Emma said, frantically waving a hand between the two of them.

He took a step closer. “And what is that exactly?”

She dropped her gaze, suddenly growing quiet. “I don’t know,” she admitted.

He long since decided he couldn’t, wouldn’t lose her. Titles be damned. He would not let her go so easily. Cradling her head between his hands, he leaned down close and kissed her on the lips. Their kiss was burning, desperate and wanting. If there wasn’t a chance her parents could walk in on them, he would have pushed her back into the beam and touched her soul if she would have allowed him. But her parents were there, and he knew that if her father walked in on them, there’d be no winning over Emma’s heart. So he took a reluctant step back. 

Gods. She was so beautiful. 

“When I win your heart, Emma, and I will win it, it will not be because of any trickery.”

She gripped the lapels of his jacket, keeping him close. Her eyes darted to his. “You already have,” she breathed out.

They clutched at each other, each desperate for the other. They were both painfully aware of the little time they had left together, and time was running out. Suddenly, everything around them fell away. He lost himself in that kiss, in her. 

Emma was joy and all things bright in the world. 

That emotion, raw and true clawed at his heart. He somehow couldn’t bring her close enough. She was going to leave him, he thought. He pulled her closer. If he couldn’t tell her that he loved her, then perhaps he could show her.

He pulled away from their embrace and pulled off his favorite necklace. As to be expected, her eyes grew wide with fear. 

“Calm down, love. I’m not proposing.” She gave him a pointed look. “You know I’m a survivor. This ring is why.” He placed it in the palm of her hand. “I’ve had it for many years. It’s the reason I’m alive…or could be. Who knows?” he was blabbering now like an idiot. This had gone over so much better inside his head. 

“Killian. I can’t take that. It belonged to your brother. It means too much to you.”

“Aye. I think I’ve found something else that means more.” Emma dropped her gaze, knowing full well what he was applying. If she didn’t have the weight of the kingdom resting on her shoulders, she would have echoed his prayers out loud. “In the very least,” he added before she could respond. “When all this is over, it’s a reminder that you’ve got a piercing-eyed, smoldering pirate waiting for your return.”

His confession was enough. They fell into each other once more, her lips meeting his with a blinding urgency. However, their moment did not last. 

There was shuffling from behind them and Killian and Emma broke apart at once. Emma glanced over to find her mother, standing awkwardly by the doorway. She paled at the thought of her mother hovering there. She only hoped she hadn’t been eavesdropping for too long.

“Sorry,” her mother said awkwardly. “I didn’t want to interrupt.”

“Next time please interrupt,” Emma quipped, then realizing what she was implying, her cheeks grew warm. Her mother didn’t comment on it. Instead, her face masked one of fear. “What is it?” Emma asked.

“There’s a ship on the horizon,” Snow said. “We think it may be Zelena.”

-x-

Leo didn’t exactly have a plan in escaping. He never thought things through, rather he tended to act on impulse. He knew they were out at sea and had literally nowhere to go. It wasn’t like he could take a safety boat and row his way to shore. It was only a matter of time before Zelena found out he was missing. 

And what then?

She would see the hole in the cell and she would know he did it—even if he didn’t fully believe it himself yet. And what then? Would she execute him on sight? Surely, she would see even the slightest glimmer of power as a threat. 

Nope. 

He wouldn’t think about it. Not now. Not here, not while his head was already spiraling madly out of control. He would worry about his new found ability after he got off this godforsaken ship. 

Leo raced down the unfamiliar hallways. Left. Right. Right. left. With every turn, he kept coming to a dead end. Strangely, he didn’t run into a single soul, though it didn’t take him long to find out why. Leo backtracked the way he came, eventually coming to a door that looked promising enough. He threw that door open and was met with a blinding white light.

He knew he was outside before his eyes even adjusted. He could feel the breeze in his hair and the sun on his face. When his eyes did finally adjust, he found himself staring back at several hundred pairs of eyes.

But not just any eyes. 

Even in his wildest dreams he never expected to come face to face with flying fucking monkeys. He’d seen them fly around the castle a few times when Zelena was near. In the sky, they looked more like a bird than anything else. However, seeing them up close was a completely different experience. Leo found his feet backing up on their own accord. 

He backed up slowly, hopeful that if he remained still enough, they wouldn’t see him. But one of the monkeys gave a violent screech and Leo knew that he was fucked yet again. Leo stumbled backwards, startled. He held up his hands, willing the mysterious power to come to him again. However, the hum in his heart was dead quiet. 

So he did the only thing he could do.

He ran.

-x-

Emma held the spyglass in her hand, her knuckles going white. She had hoped it was the ship her parents had come in on. She would have much preferred to take on Walsh than Zelena, especially so far out at sea. But to her dismay, it was a different ship. 

So much for the element of surprise.

She could feel her magic weaving a song beneath the surface. As her anger grew, the more her magic yearned for release. Not yet, she thought. 

She knew she would need all the strength she possessed to take on Zelena. There was no turning back now. They made no attempt to out run Zelena’s ship, knowing the final battle had begun.

“She’s gaining on us,” Killian said dismissively.

Emma felt the panic rise and fall in her chest. _You don’t have to out power her. You just have to outwit her._ Regina’s voice echoed in her head. She glanced out to sea. She could make out something of a sandbar, likely formed from a small island somewhere out of sight.

“Killian. This ship is shallow on the draft right?”

“Aye,” he said, thinking he knew where she was going with this. 

“We could lose them among those shores?” 

Killian flashed her a grin. He pointed a finger at her, backing away as he went. “Emma, you are brilliant.”

Almost at once, he began to bark out orders. Killian didn't have to tell his crew twice. The crew rushed around, grabbing things as they went to prepare the ship for battle.

“Wait. Are we sure this is necessary?” David asked. “We don’t know what Zelena wants.”

“You know what she wants dad,” Emma told him and the hope dropped instantly from her father’s gaze.

“We don’t have to out run them long. Just long enough,” Killian called. Then turning back to his crew, he shouted out more orders. “Anything that we can afford to lose, see that it’s lost.” 

Killian’s crew danced across the ship. They threw anything they could get their hands on to make the ship just the slightest bit lighter. Barrels. Cardboard box. Food. The rum—much to their disappointment. Their plan was working. The ship was so close to the sandbar when suddenly the winds died around them. 

“Not again,” Emma groaned, knowing full well that this was Zelena’s doing.

“Not again?” David asked, horror-struck. “What do you mean not again?”

There was no time to explain. Killian rushed to inspect the sails but they had died along with the wind. He raced back to the wheel of the ship. “It was a good plan, love,” he told her honestly.

She glanced back to Zelena’s ever approaching ship. It was close enough now she could just make out the cannons, armed and ready for battle. Zelena had come prepared. 

“Then we must fight,” Emma acknowledged, accepting the situation for what it was.

Killian didn’t wait for a response. The wind may have died but the ship had yet to completely lose its speed. He shouted to Doyle, “Lower the anchor on the starboard side!”

David’s eyes grew wide, realizing what Killian planned to do. “Are you daft!?”

Killian flashed him a humored grin. “Perhaps.” He grabbed the wheel of the ship all the same. Drastic times called for drastic measures. “But I suggest you hold on to something.” He gave a curt nod to Doyle. Without further questioning, the pirate tossed the anchor into the ocean. There was a long moment where the rope unwinded as the anchor sunk to the bottom of the sea. Then all at once, the roped pulled tight and the ship took a sharp, sudden turn to the left.

The Jolly Roger’s boards creaked in protest. Killian let go of the wheel and the ship heaved to Killian’s command. The turn of the ship was so sharp, so abrupt that Emma’s feet slipped out from under her and she fell forward. Killian caught her against his chest. For one terrible moment, Emma thought the ship would tip onto its side. 

Nothing of the sort happened. Instead, the ship came to a crashing halt and they were left floating sideways, standing directly in Zelena’s path. 

“Easy love,” he whispered.

She glanced up at him and he met her gaze. She had so much to tell him, so much left unsaid. _Say it,_ her mind shouted. Her magic sparked. _Tell him! You may not have another chance._

Killian kissed the side of her head. “I know love. I know.”

And that was enough. 

Not caring who saw, Emma gave him one last kiss before jumping into action. She joined Baelfire who was passing out swords and other weapons to members of the crew. Her father caught her arm.

“Emma. You don’t need to do this alone.”

She somehow managed a grin. “I know dad. I know.” 

Zelena’s ship was close enough now, she could hear the shouts from the witch's ship. To her horror, she realized Zelena's ship wasn’t filled with men but rather flying monkeys. The air stilled as Zelena’s ship pulled up next to their’s. It took her a moment to find the witch among the hoard. Even from the distance, Emma could make out the gleam in the witch’s eye. 

She was enjoying this. 

Zelena’s ship came to a halt. Emma could see the canons of Zelena’s ship, prepared and ready to fire. Those seconds before battle seemed to last an eternity. Then all at once everything was plunged into utter chaos

“FIRE!” Someone shouted. 

There was a deafening bang as one canon went off after the other. One came so close to hitting her, the explosion lifted her off her feet. She hardly had a moment to think, her brain lagging behind. 

Almost instantly, the Jolly Roger was swarmed by flying monkeys. She scrambled to her feet—just in the nick of time too. A flying winged beast was standing before her now. She threw back her arm, ready to kill. Before she could, the monkey was impaled from the other side. The monkey fell forward and Emma hopped out of its way. 

“Leo!” Emma exclaimed. 

Never had she been happier to see her stupid baby brother. 

“Good to see you, sis.”

Emma grinned at him. “What the hell are you doing here?” 

“Long story,” Leo grunted. “Duck!” She did and Leo swung his sword to clip the wing of a flying monkey. It let out a screech before crashing into the ocean. “I see you found mother and father alright,” he called over the sounds of battle.” Emma tossed her head to the side. Sure enough her father was taking on a few flying monkeys of his own, while her mother shot off arrows left and right. She couldn’t help but think how badass they looked in that moment. 

She felt her magic call to her. It was pounding in her ears. _Not yet. Not yet. Not yet._

She experienced it first hand with Regina just how exhausting magic could leave her. She needed to save it for Zelena.

Shit. The magic bean.

She glanced desperately around for Killian, but couldn’t find him amongst the chaos.

There was a heavy thud that broke her thoughts. Emma and Leo glanced down between their feet. They gave each other a knowing look before diving in opposite directions. The explosion of the hand grenade lifted them easily into the air. Emma landed several feet from her brother. No time to waste, she stumbled back to her feet, only to find someone blocking her path. Her mouth nearly dropped open when she saw who it was. “Walsh!” Emma shouted, dumbstruck.

Surely she was mistaken because as far as she knew she had left Walsh back on her parents’ ship, a good hundred miles from where they were now. 

“You never should have left the castle, Emma,” he spat at her. “It was too bad because I actually kinda liked you.”

Something not quite human flashed across his eyes then. Emma raised her sword, prepared to fight. “Who are you?” 

And the sound Walsh let out next was definitely not human. His body began to twist and turn. The sound of breaking breaking bones came next. Emma stumbled back in horror. She could hardly believe what she was seeing. It took more than a moment for Walsh to turn into one of Zelena’s flying winged beasts. 

Walsh was a monkey. 

She had almost married a flying fucking monkey. 

She had little time to dwell in self-pity. Walsh—no, the monkey—came screeching at her. This time, she acted on pure instinct. She threw down her sword and lifted up her palms to face him. The light that blasted out of her hands pierced Walsh directly in the heart. Instantaneously, cracks began to form in his skin. As the light— _her light_ —pulsated out of him, Walsh exploded into a million pieces, turned simply into dust. 

She clamped her hands shut, turning off the power. She let out a laugh, one of pure joy. She wondered why Regina hadn’t taught her that trick. She feared using magic too soon would drain her but she felt no such thing. Her magic beat steadily in the core of her heart, waiting for her call.

Someone called her name then.

_Killian!_

She turned to his voice. He was fighting off more monkeys than he could handle, desperately trying to reach her. 

“Well. Well. Well. What do we have here?” 

Emma whirled around, not in the least bit surprised nor startled to find Zelena there. “Zelena,” Emma said drily. “What took you so long?”

They were standing at the center of the ship, dancing a circle around each other. 

“You foolish girl. You really thought you could defeat me?” Zelena let out that infamous cackle. Before Emma could even retort, Zelena threw a green fireball her way.

Emma dove to the side. The fireball missed her by a landslide. She heaved herself back to her feet. She wouldn’t give Zelena the satisfaction. The blows came one after the other until eventually one got too close for her liking. Emma dove behind a barrel, out of breath. 

“COME OUT!” Zelena screamed. “AND FACE ME YOU COWARD!” 

Emma closed her eyes shut. _She could do this. She could do this._ She just needed a moment to convince herself that she could. Her magic sparked in response—whether in agreement or protest she couldn’t be sure.

“SNOW!”

Her eyes snapped open at the sound of her father’s plea.

Her parents and brother, were across the ship now. One of the flying creatures had managed to grab her mother by the scruff of her neck. It flew her mother easily back onto Zelena’s ship. Her father and brother didn’t even hesitate. They threw themselves onto the other ship, not thinking. 

NO! She wanted to shout. _It was a trap!_ And how they could not see that filled her with such rage.

Almost instantly, a swarm of flying monkeys pounced on them. Emma watched helplessly as her parents and brother were dragged below deck.

No. She wouldn’t let them die for her.

Emma jumped out from behind the barrel. “Enough of this Zelena. Leave everyone else out of this. This is between you and me. No one else.”

A fireball hovered in the palm of Zelena’s hand. Her lip’s twisted upwards into a sadistic grin. “Give up and I will let them live.” 

Emma’s heart was pounding loudly in her chest now. Perhaps if Zelena had been telling the truth, maybe—just maybe—she would have called for surrender and given the witch exactly what she wanted. But Emma’s superpower blared loudly inside her head and she just knew. Zelena had no plans of anyone getting out of this mess alive.

Emma threw down her sword all the same. 

_You don’t need to out power her, you just need to outwit her._

Zelena gave her a twisted smile. Zelena approached, arms out and raised, a fireball formed in her hand. Emma let that fireball burn bight. And just when Zelena thought she had won, Emma threw up her own hands. The light tumbled out of her palms and her magic collided with Zelena’s at the center of the ship. The force of the blast pushed her back, but she remained on her feet. Emma’s hands shook from the power, the force of it, but she didn’t let go. She couldn't let go.

She closed her eyes and thought of everything she was fighting for. Her parents. Her brother. Her kingdom. 

As if Zelena could read her thoughts, Zelena shouted over the roar of the battle. “You foolish girl. Don’t you know? Love is weakness. Give up!” 

“Emma!”

Killian’s voice echoed in her ear. His voice gave her light, gave her hope. He was her rock, her saving grace. He was her happy ending. She knew this now, unmistakably so. She just wished she had had the courage to tell him how she really felt when given the chance.

She snapped open her eyes, looking Zelena straight in the eye. “No. Love is strength.”

With that thought, her magic exploded out of her. The force of her light sent Zelena flying across the ship. In its wake, her light pierced each and everyone of Zelena’s monkeys. Similar to the way her magic had destroyed Walsh, the remaining monkeys began to explode into dust around her.

“NO!” Zelena shouted. The witch gripped her hair, watching in horror as the majority of her precious pets exploded into dust. When they were finally gone, Emma was fairly certain she had never seen someone look so angry before in her life. “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?”

“I won Zelena. Fair and square. Take whatever is left of your flying monkeys and go.”

Something in Zelena’s features twisted then and Emma’s heart stilled. The witch hardly looked as if she had lost. In an instant, Zelena held up her arm once more. This time, a puff of purple smoke formed around Zelena’s hands. When the smoke cleared, Emma saw the unmistakeable truth.

The dagger. 

She stumbled back, nearly falling in the process. 

“EMMA!” She heard Killian’s panicked voice from somewhere behind her but it was too late. 

-x-

The smoke cleared and Killian’s heart stilled inside his chest. 

“EMMA!”

A loud bang split the air, and Killian watched helplessly as Emma fell backwards, her sword falling from her grasp. Killian fought his way towards them but to no avail. Emma managed to purge the majority of the flying monkeys with her magic, though a few still remained and they were currently blocking his path. 

Rumpelstiltskin suddenly appeared in all his glory. Emma just reached the hilt of her sword when Rumpelstiltskin’s foot fell on the blade, locking it in place. She gave it tug but it didn’t budge. She held up her hand but the crocodile was faster. In an instant, a rope appeared out of thin air, forming around her waist and pinning her arms to her sides.

“EMMA!” Killian shouted again. He raced towards them, his sword raised and ready to kill. 

He was suddenly replaying Milah’s death over in his head. He couldn’t lose Emma, not her. He loved her.

_Love._

Call it insane, call it sheer stupidity, but he felt it in his bones. He loved Emma, Princes of Misthaven with all his heart. He’d only known her for a few days but she had showed him the beauty of her soul, and he knew he wanted nothing else in the world than to be with her. 

He would not let the crocodile take her from him. He grabbed his sword and raced across the ship. Pure adrenaline kept him going and he managed to knock the flying monkeys blocking his path with surprising ease. He was so close, just out of reach when the crocodile held up his hand, immediately stopping him in his tracks. Killian’s feet lifted off the ground on their own accord and he lost his breath almost at once. He was helpless, floating just above the deck. His hand shot to his neck in a desperate attempt to loosen Rumpelstiltskin's invisible hold.

“Killian,” he was vaguely aware of his name on Emma’s lips. 

“Kill them,” Zelena hissed into the dagger and Rumpelstiltskin’s eyes gleamed with joy.

“Why,” Emma spat out. She understood why Zelena wanted her dead. She even understood that Rumpelstiltskin had to do what she asked. But she couldn’t understand why he was enjoying this. He would have gladly abided Zelena’s doing even without the dagger.

Rumpelstiltskin shrugged. “Because I can.” A twisted smile formed on his face. “Any last words?”

“NO!” Killian managed to choke out. 

Emma spit in his face. If anything, his twisted grin just grew tenfold. It took one snap from Rumpelstiltskin's fingers for her world to fall apart in an instant. 

Emma heard the explosion before she saw it. There was a catastrophic BOOM. It shook the Jolly Roger, casting waves across the sea. She turned towards the sound, not quite believing what she was seeing. It only took a few seconds for the ship her family was on to go up in flames. The ship split into a thousand pieces, sending canon balls of fire and wood their way. Zelena held up her hand and the flames turned to ash before they hit the ship.

Emma felt the world go still around her. 

The ship her family was on, gone in an instant. No one could have survived that. 

Rumpelstiltskin let out a high-pitched laugh, Zelena’s laugh echoing closely behind. 

_Her parents. Leo. They couldn’t be dead. They couldn’t._

Her ears were still ringing from her magic, from the explosion that just destroyed the ship her parents and brother were on.

_Numb. Broken. Weak._

_Failure_ , a voice whispered in her ear. _You failed. Your parents and brother are dead because of you._

No. 

She shook her head, refusing to believe it. _They weren’t dead. They weren’t dead._ She forced herself to look at the wreckage, and when she did, all she could see was the unmistakeable truth. The ship—or rather what was left of the ship—was sinking to the bottom of the sea. One minute the ship had been there and the next it was gone. 

_Her parents. Leo. Dead._

With that acceptance, her sense of feeling returned in a rush of harsh and unexpected agony. There was no warning this time, no bubbling to the surface, no call to be let out. Her magic exploded out of her in a blinding rush of rage and agony. Her light pulsated across the realms. The roaring in her ears grew so loud she could hear nothing else. She felt the power of it beginning to climax. Unable to hold it, she let it go. She let it all go. 

Everything. 

Her magic pushed everything—including Rumpelstiltskin—in a five-foot radius backwards. Rumpelstiltskin flew through the air, landing on the other side of the ship. The force of the blow caused the crocodile to let go of his hold on her and Killian. The magical ropes that bounded her loosened, and she collapsed to the deck, energy completely spent. 

Emma had never experienced anything worse than the moment her soul left her body. Everything around her was moving so slow. She was vaguely aware of Killian shouting, the very distance hum of magic weakening under her skin.

She pushed herself up, or rather tried to but immediately fell back to the deck again, exhausted. Tiny black dots began to form across her vision. If it wasn’t for Killian’s voice that broke through her walls of denial, then she would have welcomed that darkness with open arms.

“EMMA!” 

At Killian’s voice, she snapped back to reality. By the time her mind caught up to her brain and returned to present, it was too late.

“You truly thought you could defeat me?” A familiar voice spoke. 

Only it was not Zelena. When she finally came to, she thought that she may have died, for she found her _own_ eyes reflecting back at her. She blinked to clear her sight; surely she was seeing things. The person standing before her now was _herself_. How could that be? But then she caught the gleam in this other woman's eyes and she knew.

“Zelena,” Emma choked out. It horrified her to know that such magic existed, that Zelena could and would trick the entire kingdom into thinking she was the Princess of Misthaven. Zelena looked like her, sounded like her, but it wasn’t her. Emma shut her eyes tight, willing this nightmare to just go away. So this had been Zelena's plan all along. To kill her entire family and then pose as Emma herself. It made her sick because no one would think otherwise.

“I win,” Zelena said, a triumphant smile spreading across her face. Zelena snapped her fingers, and her disguised fell away at once. She was just Zelena now.

The trolls prophecy rung loudly in her head. 

_Should they fail. All that they hold dear would be lost._

A tight pinch of pain came from her abdomen. She glanced down only to find a dagger there. Zelena could have crushed her heart, could have ended her life in the blink of an eye but her death meant so much more to Zelena than her crown. Zelena wanted her to suffer. Zelena twisted the knife and Emma spit up blood. 

“I win,” Zelena said again and Emma was not sure who Zelena was trying to convince.

Zelena pulled the dagger from her stomach and Emma fell to her side. Her hand shot to the wound.

Blood. There was so much blood. The darkness threatened to take hold of her again.

“EMMA!” 

Killian jumped for his sword, not hesitating for even a moment. He rushed forward, arms raised high and aimed to kill. Zelena didn’t even see him coming. Before she could react, he stabbed her in the back. Zelena howled, falling to the side and Killian pushed her out of the way. 

_Emma._

Killian collapsed down next to her and heaved her into his arms. She clutched at his jacket, at his heart and he held onto her tightly. Her blood seeped from her wound, onto the ground, onto him.

“Emma. Stay with me. EMMA! Stay with me!”

“Killian,” she whispered, her voice sounding like a faraway dream. 

_Weak._ Her voice was so weak. Frail. 

He couldn’t let her die. 

“I’m so sorry,” she told him. 

He clutched at her hand. “Shhh. It’s going to be okay. I’ve got you,” he told her. He ignored the blood spilling from her gut, from her mouth. 

“How does it feel dearie?” 

Killian’s head snapped up. He’d been so preoccupied with Emma he had forgotten about Rumpelstiltskin, who was approaching him slowly now, sword in hand. Zelena was still rolling on her side, desperately trying to pull the dagger from her back. Killian placed Emma gently down on the deck. He saw no way out of this one. 

They had lost. 

Emma realized a moment too late what he planned to do. She pleaded with him, but she never brought the words to life. 

Killian rushed towards the crocodile, sword aimed and ready to kill. It happened so fast, Emma could hardly make sense of it all. One minute Rumpelstiltskin was standing there and the next he was not. Killian swung at the empty air. Striking no target, his balance faltered.

“Over here, dearie.”

Killian turned, arms raised to strike but he was not expecting Rumpelstiltskin’s sudden appearance and he came in at the wrong angle. Rumpelstiltskin swung his own sword, and Killian knees gave out from under him. He collapsed to the deck. 

He was vaguely aware of Emma screaming now. He turned to her, confusion written on his face. She was sobbing, or rather he thought she was, as he couldn’t actually hear her, only the dull ringing in his head and the pounding of his heart. 

There was a thud that pulled his attention and he realized it was his sword falling from his grasp. He turned towards the sound and that was when he saw red. It was everywhere. It stained the deck, his boots, his jacket. His first thought was that it was Emma’s blood, though he quickly came to recognize it as his own. 

His gaze fell to his left hand. He wasn’t sure if it was pure adrenaline, pure instinct, or the shock of seeing a gaping hole where his left hand should have been that kept him rooted in place. 

His missing hand did not register at first. He felt no pain. His instincts were quicker than his head though, and his remaining hand shot to the wound. The blood spilled out between his fingers. 

He was incredibly cold, freezing even, which didn’t make much sense considering the sun’s blaze. He glanced helplessly at Emma. She wasn’t more than a few feet from him, her hand covering her own wound. If he reached out, he thought he just might be able to hold her hand in his. 

“Emma.” His lips formed her name but he either never spoke them or she didn’t hear. 

She was struggling to right herself, desperately trying to reach him. Her own wounds were too much. Emma could only heave at the sight of seeing Killian’s hand laying beside her on the deck. 

The troll’s prophecy played in her head.

_Should they fail. All that they hold dear would be lost._

She was losing. 

Rumpelstiltskin approached Killian slowly. 

“DO IT! ISN’T THIS WHAT YOU WANTED!” he shouted, desperate for a release that he feared would never come.

The crocodile did not take his eyes off him. Without further ado, Rumpelstiltskin reached deep inside his chest. The action robbed him of his ability to breathe. All he felt was a blinding rush of pain.

“STOP IT!”

The air around them stilled. They all turned towards the voice. 

Baelfire. 

The young lad's chest was puffing and panting hard. He was standing on the railing now, as if ready to jump if anyone threatened to approach. The fight around them raged on, but Baelfire only spoke to his father. “If you kill them. I’ll never forgive you. DO YOU HEAR ME!? I’ll never forgive you.”

To Killian's surprise, the crocodile actually faltered. 

“Bae. No. Don’t!” Killian shouted, or thought he shouted. He couldn’t be sure. The darkness was creeping up on him. It threatened to pull him under, drown him. He glanced at Emma. She was lying on the deck, hands no longer even attempting to stop to flow of blood. She stared blankly back at him, and he could see the life beginning to regress from her eyes. He wished he could call to her, hold her hand, and whisper words of encouragement, but he found it hard to say anything at all when he too had lost the will to live. 

“Bae—” Rumpelstiltskin stepped away from Killian and towards his son. 

“No,” Zelena hissed out. She held up the dagger with one hand and with the other, she swept the young boy up in a swirl of purple smoke. When the smoke cleared, Bae had disappeared completely.

Rumpelstiltskin turned to her. If looks could kill. He moved towards her, suddenly forgetting Killian and Emma in his wake. “WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM!?”

Zelena held up the dagger, stopping him in his tracks. “You listen to me. We had a deal. Only then, can you be reunited with your precious son.” 

Rumpelstiltskin eyed the dagger with dismay. In the blink of an eye, he was standing next to Killian now, like a predator ready to kill its prey. 

“Do it,” Killian spit out blood. It didn’t matter. If Rumpelstiltskin didn’t kill him now, then he would die a slow, agonizing death from the lost of blood. At least the crocodile’s way, it’d be quick.

However, Rumpelstiltskin must have thought something along the same lines. The man plunged Killian’s heart back into his chest. Killian gasped in shock as he was hit with a whirlwind of emotions. Before he could process that the crocodile had not crushed his heart into dust, the crocodile zapped himself over to Emma. 

“But you see dearie. There are some fates far worse than death.”

Rumpelstiltskin lifted her easily off the floor. Emma hung limp in his arms. She searched her magic, desperately trying to pull it to the surface, but it was so faint, there was nothing left to grasp. She had stopped fighting, she no longer cared. She had lost so much.

However, even in her final moments, she wouldn’t close her eyes. She wouldn’t show her fear. She’d come to accept that Zelena and Rumpelstiltskin had won. Only Rumpelstiltskin never intended to make her death quick. Looking into his eyes, she realized that now.

This wasn’t about her, though. Rumpelstiltskin shot Killian one last twisted grin before tossing her over the edge into the waters below. 

“EMMA!” Killian shouted. 

He didn’t know where the sudden surge of strength came from. For a moment, he forgot about his missing hand. He raced for the edge of the ship, having every intention to go in there after her. If he could just save her, everything would be alright. But he hardly made it two feet before he fell back to the deck. His vision went black once more. When he came back to a second later, he realized the unmistakeable truth.

He was dying.

They lost.

 _Broken. Numb. Weak._

In what should have terrified him, didn’t. In fact, he welcomed the darkness with open arms, for a world without Emma was a world he didn’t want to be a part of. He was panting heavily now. He thought the pounding in his ears grew softer, but he wasn’t quite sure.

“I win,” Rumpelstiltskin sneered.

Killian blinked. Rumpelstiltskin was crouched down in front of him now. The crocodile may have won but Killian refused to die like a dog on his back. He wouldn’t give Rumpelstiltskin that satisfaction. He managed to push himself to his knees. His vision blackened once more and when he opened them again, he wasn’t sure if he or the world was swaying around him. Perhaps a little bit of both.

“I’ve waited a long time for this,” Rumpelstiltskin raised his arm back.

Killian had every intention to look the crocodile in the eye when the man killed him. Only at the last second did he have a change of heart. Rumpelstiltskin could not be the last thing he saw. So he closed his eyes and imagined Emma instead. 

In his dreams, she was standing in front of him, looking exquisite in a dress of white lace. She gave him a smile as if to say what took you so long. He smiled back at her. She held up her hand, gesturing for him to take it. 

But when he reached out to grasp her hand in his, the world suddenly swayed beneath his feet. He lost his balance. As he fell forward, he was vaguely aware of something falling from his jacket pocket. He snapped open his eyes and the image of Emma disappeared as quickly as it came. The red pouch Regina had given them slipped from his pocket. When it landed on the deck, something popped out of it. 

_The magic bean._

It bounced one, twice, three times before coming to a halt right by Rumpelstiltskin’s feet.

Killian thought it was dried up, thought it wouldn’t work without Emma’s magic to jolt it to life. But there was a rumble beneath him. He couldn’t keep his eyes open any longer. They drifted shut. When he opened them again, there was a swirling green vortex in the center of his ship.

“NO!” Zelena shouted, horror struck. 

He was losing consciousness and he couldn’t be certain if the things he was seeing were even real. He was vaguely aware of his crew shouting his name in the distance, vaguely aware of Rumpelstiltskin hissing and jumping backwards, as if burnt by fire. He thought he recalled the Jolly Roger folding in on itself, being pulled towards the vortex, but he couldn’t be certain. 

The next thing he knew he was falling. Falling down, down the rabbit hole. Before they could fall with him, Zelena and Rumpelstiltskin flashed themselves away in flurry of purple smoke, and that was all he remembered before letting darkness consume him completely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Couple things! First off, I KNOW! I AM SORRY! I told you the chapter was a lot. And Yes, in case you missed it, the beginning part of the battle was from the Pirates of the Caribbean. =) 
> 
> Secondly, I love how on the show they say how RARE true love is and then basically every character in the show has found their true love kiss and/or soul mate. Bahaha. Anywho. If Emma had magic, I felt Leo deserved some credit as well.


	9. When Will My Life Begin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delayed response! I’ve spent the last two weeks moving and been rather busy! 
> 
> Hope you enjoy

A young-man sat in the corner of a bar, cradling a pint of beer between his hands. The hood shielding his face made it difficult to distinguish his exact age. This wasn’t the first time the man had visited this particular pub, though it had been awhile. In fact, it had been awhile since he’d been in the Enchanted Forest in general.

Inside the pub, it was dark, only half full, not what you would expect on such a nice night. It was a hole in the wall type of place, but close enough to the docks that it gained enough visitors who wished to drown their sorrows with rum and beer. Music played in the background, a tune he recognized but couldn’t quite place. For a moment, the situation felt all too familiar. He couldn’t dwell on the past. Not now. Not here. 

He kept his eyes fixated at the door.

He heard a rumor from a friend of friend who had heard it from a seller at a market. Rumors, started from hope, from despair. He refused to let himself fall into that hope because hope was an incredibly dangerous thing. 

When other visitors asked if they could share his table, he simply shook his head and when they didn’t leave, he quickly flashed them his knife. They scurried away without question. The man preferred to be alone. He wasn’t accustomed to having friends, having chose to live a life of solitude for the past decade—give or take. He wasn’t exactly sure how long it’d been since he’d given up hope. 

Still, the rumors gave him pause.

He shouldn’t have listened to them. He should have just left them be, for if being an orphan had taught him anything in life, it was that hope could and would drown you.

Afraid he’d get kicked out of the pub, the man ordered a second beer. He nearly had given up when the door burst open. His gaze tracked the group of men now standing in the doorway. His eyes fell on the one in all back and his heart stilled. 

So the rumors were true. 

The man didn’t approach the group, at least not at first. Instead, he sat in the corner, waiting, watching. He ordered a third beer. _Waiting. Watching._ He had to ensure that his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him. The group ordered several rounds of beer and played several rounds of gambling games. The night suddenly flashed by him, and in the blink of an eye, the group of men stood to leave.

It was now or never.

The man slapped down some coins on the table—more than enough to cover the cost of his beverages for the night. 

There was a decent amount of men in the group, but the young man only had eyes for one. He pushed himself into the group with ease until he was standing directly in front of their captain. He kept the hood over his face. 

As suspected, the captain was none too happy about his presence. 

“Lad, I suggest you get out of my way. I’m not in the mood for games.”

When he didn’t move, the captain flashed him his hand—only it wasn’t quite a hand—and the young man realized even _these_ rumors were true. 

“Either am I,” the young man replied coley.

Something about his voice must have stopped the captain in his tracks. The captain appeared puzzled now. Before the captain could respond, the younger man lifted his hood to reveal his face.

The captain blinked rapidly as if he his eyes were playing tricks on him. 

“Leo?” He sputtered out eventually.

The young man—Leo—flashed his former acquaintance a grin. “Long time no see, Killian.” As an afterthought, he glanced at the metal attached to the pirate’s arm. “Or do you solely go by Hook now?”

**-Enchanted Forest, ten years ago-**

Emma didn’t feel anything when she hit the water. She was vaguely aware of her world falling away beneath her feet. She braced for impact but the moment never came. She was falling. Falling down the rabbit hole.

She forced herself to open her eyes and she caught a series of images—nothing concrete—and the moment she blinked, they disappeared. 

_Leo’s birth. Leo and her playing in the courtyard at the age of eight. Her father teaching her to sword fight at age fourteen. Her coming of age ball at age eighteen._

The images came one after the other in no particular order. At first she thought they were memories—her life flashing before her eyes. But the images changed in a flash, and she could now see things that happened before she was even born, things she couldn’t comprehend what she was seeing.

_Rumpelstiltskin teaching Regina magic from another time. Her father kissing her mother awake with true love’s kiss. Regina—no the Evil Queen—plunging her hand into a man’s chest and crushing his heart to dust._

She wasn’t sure if she was dreaming any of this or not. If she was, she desperately wished to wake up from the nightmare she was being subjected to. 

The images changed once more. This time Killian flashed before her.

_Killian._

With his striking blue eyes and charming smile. The Killian she had left to die on the Jolly Roger. 

She squeezed her eyes shut, willing the images away. The next time she opened her eyes she saw two young children running in the distance. She couldn’t make out their faces, as their backs were turned to her but their golden hair was a dead give away. Her and Leo, she thought. Before she could grasp the memory, her world collapsed in on itself entirely. 

This time when she fell, she hit the water and lost her breath. It hurt. Everything hurt. It was cold too. Unbearably cold. She fought for the surface, yet to no avail. Her limbs remained slack. Her magic wouldn’t answer her call. Her eyes drifted shut on their own accord, and the fire in her lungs she’d felt a moment prior suddenly began to ease. The darkness greeted her like an old friend, and she would have accepted it with open arms if she hadn’t heard him call her name. 

_Emma._

Emma awoke with a gasp. 

“MOM! She’s awake.” A familiar voice yelled. 

Her head felt like it was splitting in two. There was shuffling around her. Her eyelids felt unbearably heavy. She yearned for the darkness again, yet Killian’s voice in her ear kept her grounded. She forced her eyes opened. 

It took her a moment to accept that she wasn’t where she was suppose to be. 

She wasn’t at the bottom of the ocean but tucked safely in a bed. Emma forced herself upright, only to find warm hands pushing her right back down. She blinked in rapid succession, confused and concerned eyes reflected back into her soul. 

“Regina?” Her voice was hoarse, life-less. “What…what am I doing here?”

It didn’t make sense. She should be at the bottom of the ocean by now, not in Regina’s cottage, miles away. 

“I don’t know. I was hoping you could tell me that. You just appeared here.”

Emma searched her brain for something, anything. It was like trying to remember a dream. 

“Emma, you’ve been in and out for nearly a week.”

A week. No. That couldn’t be right. The last thing she remembered—

_Killian. Her parents. Leo._

Emma shot up and immediately regretted it. She didn’t have time to fight off the darkness this time. When she awoke again, several hours later, she found Regina in the chair across from her bed, reading a book. There was no light spilling into the room, and Emma realized that several more hours must have past. She stirred. Regina’s eyes flickered over to hers and Emma saw the unmistakable truth written across Regina’s face. 

“They’re all dead,” Emma said. It wasn’t a question.

_Killian. Her parents. Her brother._

Regina gave the smallest of nods. Emma closed her eyes. This time, she didn’t even bother to fight off the darkness. 

-x-

Regina stared blankly out in front of her, lost in thought. As far as she was concerned, Emma should be dead. Regina hadn’t the faintest idea how Emma—bleeding to death—managed to evaporate herself to their cabin. Not to mention, the wound in her abdomen had healed practically overnight, leaving nothing but the faintest of scars. Magic was a powerful thing but not _that_ powerful. It couldn’t prevent death, though it could be stopped if you had the power. Even still, a stunt like Emma had pulled would have required more than Emma’s and Zelena’s strength combined. 

_Unless…._

The door suddenly blew up, Robin in tow. He gave her a gentle smile but his grim expression told her something wasn’t quite right. Her and Rue exchanged a look.

“What is it?” Regina asked. 

“There were rumors at the market today.” It’d been a little over four weeks since Emma‘s reappearance. They heard what had happen from Emma herself, yet this was the first time the news must have reached the edge of the kingdom. “They are saying that the Charmings are dead. All but Emma survived.”

This surprised her. Regina didn’t see why Zelena would have let the kingdom believe Emma had survived the battle. “They know she survived?” 

“That’s the thing.” Robin’s eyes flickered to the room Emma was staying in. “They are saying the princess is back at the castle. Resting. I didn’t believe it either but Tiny Tim says he saw the princess with his own eyes and this was nearly a week ago. How is that even possible Regina?” 

“Zelena,” Regina acknowledged. “She must be using some sort of spell that allows her to assume the form of someone else.”

Rue and Robin stared at her in pure horror. “We need to say something!” Rue cried. “We can’t let Zelena take the kingdom away from Emma! That’s not fair.” 

Regina hesitated. If her suspicions were correct then she knew Emma was in no condition to take back the crown. Even if she was wrong, Regina knew it was going to take a lot of convincing to get Emma back on her feet. Emma may have physically been alive and well, but emotionally she was a wreck. 

“There’s one more thing.” Robin let out a deep sigh. “They are saying Killian Jones is responsible for their deaths.”

**-Enchanted Forest, present-**

Killian felt as if he was looking into a mirror of the past. When he first met the young prince nearly a decade ago, he hadn’t realized at the time how much the young lad had looked like Emma. It was never more apparent to him now, even in the dimly lit room of his cabin. Unable to meet the prince’s eye, he kept his gaze directed out the window.

“How are you alive?” Killian asked quietly. As far as he was aware, Emma’s brother and parents had died. He had seen the ship explode. 

He kept replaying the memory over and over again in his head. Leo had died, he was sure of it. Yet the young prince was standing alive and well before him now. He still had the same baby face, though the hope in his eyes seemed to have hardened over time. From what little Killian could remember of him, the kid carried himself differently now. 

“How are you?” Leo shot back. “As far as I was aware the infamous Captain Killian Jones died.”

“He did,” Killian— _Hook_ —said drily. 

The truth was, he wasn’t quite sure how he’d actually survived. He remembered Zelena and her flying monkeys all too clearly. He remembered the magic bean and then the next thing he remembered was waking up in Neverland without a hand.

Without Emma.

He hadn’t lied to Leo. Killian Jones did die that day. Looking back now, he realized Captain Hook was born long before he found the piece of metal that had earned him his moniker. 

Emma’s death had changed him.

He couldn’t remember it ever hurting this much when it came to Milah. He would have let that grief consume him too if it wasn’t for Rumpelstiltskin and Zelena—just knowing they were alive and well haunted his soul. He quickly bottled up that pain and turned it into a hunger for revenge. 

“You first,” Leo said. Leo must have found his rum storage because the young man was pouring them each a drink. Killian did the math in his head. Leo would have been around twenty-eight now. 

Killian accepted the glass thankfully and threw it back in one gulp.

“A magic bean transported me back to Neverland,” he told Leo. “I’ve spent several years there, regaining my strength.”

“Why’d you return?” 

Killian pour himself another glass of rum. “You know why.”

He hadn’t fully been prepared when returning to the Enchanted Forest nearly two years ago. He hadn’t realized how much Neverland had dulled his sense of pain, reasoning, and time. 

It had been a decade since their fight with Zelena, but Emma was so much more than a distant memory. He saw Emma everywhere. He saw her at the pub. At the market. In his dreams. He’d even mistaken Alice for Emma once and it nearly broke him because she had been so real to him in that moment. He dreamt of conversations they would never have, of places they would never get to visit. Even once, he dreamt of a little girl who had Emma’s golden hair and his blue eyes. 

Returning from Neverland brought on a new sense of pain—one he couldn’t have even imagined. As a result, he wrecked havoc wherever he went, and with whomever got in his way. 

Yes. Captain Hook had certainly earned himself a reputation. 

“If I would have known you were alive I would have sought you out much sooner,” Killian admitted. 

“Likewise,” Leo told him, though he honestly wasn’t sure if that was true or not. Unlike Killian, the thought of revenge terrified Leo. After the battle, Leo found himself running from his problems, not facing them head out. 

“Your turn,” Killian told him bluntly. 

Leo recalled the battle against Zelena and her flying monkeys. How one of the monkeys swept his mother up and flew her to the other ship. His father and he had not hesitated in going after her. However, they quickly learned it was a trap. They were out numbered and Leo found himself separated from his parents. 

“The next thing I know there’s this loud explosion and blinding white light. I don’t know how I made it out of the ship alive,” Leo said, though it wasn’t entirely the truth. He had his suspicion, not that Hook needed to know this. “The next thing I know is I’m in a forest covered in snow, miles away from the Enchanted Kingdom.” 

“Magic,” Killian said simply. 

“How did you—“

“Emma…she had it too.” He realized then that he hadn’t spoken her name aloud in years. His heart pinched in his chest. 

If Leo’s magic had saved him, then perhaps…

No. He wouldn’t go there. He wouldn’t let himself hope because hope was an incredibly dangerous thing. The life had left Emma’s eyes even before Rumpelstiltskin had thrown her off the ship, left to drown. 

Leo was quiet, thinking. He supposed it made sense. If he had magic, then surely she must have had it too. “I didn’t know.”

”And your parents?” Killian asked, but Leo just shook his head sadly. 

As with most people who had crossed paths with him, Killian suddenly found himself angry with the boy. Leo had been in hiding for all these years. He didn’t really know him, not really. He only met him that one night. While Zelena sat in their castle pretending to be someone she wasn’t. 

“All these years. Why now? The kingdom thinks you’re dead.”

Leo glanced towards the ground. “Perhaps it’s better that way.”

“Is it?” 

“What do you want me to do?” Leo snapped back. “It’s not like I can go up to the castle and ask for it back.”

“Why not?” Killian challenged. To him, it was that simple. The boy didn’t give himself enough credit. He had more power than he knew. The kingdom would fight for the boy. He was certain of it. 

Leo glowered at him. The scowl reminded him so much of Baelfire. He still didn’t know what had happened to the lad after Zelena had poofed him into nothingness. His only reassurance was that the crocodile would not kill his only son. He was fairly certain of that. 

“They will believe you, you know. The kingdom,” Killian went on. “If you call Zelena out as a fraud, the kingdom will believe you.”

The entire kingdom thought he killed her family—a lie Zelena wasted no time in spreading. He could live with that. He cared very little for his reputation. What he would not stand for was Zelena pretending to be someone she wasn’t.

“You don’t know that,” Leo countered. “Besides. It doesn’t matter. We can’t kill her. In case you’ve forgotten Zelena still wields the power of the Dark One.” 

Killian didn’t know if it was wise to tell the former prince of his plans. Ultimately, he decided Leo deserved to know. He wasn’t the only one who lost a part of himself that day. Killian walked over to the safe in his room, unlocked it and stepped aside to show the lad what was inside. 

Leo didn’t need to voice his doubts, his expression said it all.

“This isn’t just a hat,” Killian snapped. “It wields the power to absorb the magic of even the most powerful of sorcerers.” 

As far as Killian was concerned, Zelena was powerless without the Dark One by her side. Their key to success was ridding Rumpelstiltskin from this world first. He couldn’t kill him without the dagger—it was true—but there were other means to stomp out the darkness. 

Leo’s eyes grew the slightest bit wider, finally comprehending. “You really think it’ll work?”

_Hope._

It was an incredibly dangerous thing. 

“I’m going to kill them,” Hook vowed. “All of them. Zelena. Rumpelstiltskin. I’m going to kill them and I’m going to make them suffer.”

-x-

A girl about the age of ten stood just at the edge of the forest that surrounded her home. Her mother had strictly told her to keep away from the forest, though her and her mother definitely had different versions of the word _close_. She could see the red roof peaking out amongst the trees and that was close enough for her. All the same, she glanced around to ensure no one was watching.

Satisfied she was alone, she turned back to the fallen log and held up her hand. The log lifted easily off the ground. She kept it hovering there for a few a moments, requiring very little concentration on her part. Magic. It came easy to her. Always had. The last time, she had managed to lift the log nearly to the tree tops.

She held up her other hand, determined to break her record. She would have broken it too if it wasn’t for the twig snapping behind her. She jumped, startled. The tree came crashing down. She closed her eyes and prepared herself for the noise of impact—a sound that never came. When she peaked open her eye, she saw the log hovering a mere inch from the ground. 

She glanced nervously over her shoulder. Her shoulders sunk in relief when she saw it was only her Aunt Regina standing behind her. Regina waived her hand and and the log fell to the ground with a gentle thud. The action left Regina breathing hard, having lost her true strength decades ago.

“Hope! Just what do you think you’re doing?”

Hearing her name, Hope winced. She slowly turned around to face her all the same. Time had not softened her aunt, and Hope prepared herself for a lecture sure to come. Still, Regina was far less terrifying than her mother. As far as Hope knew, her mother didn’t even know she practiced magic. 

“I don’t see why we must keep it a secret,” she countered before her aunt could scowled her some more. 

She crossed her arms over her chest and brushed her brown hair out of her face. 

“We discussed why,” Regina told her. 

Hope knew magic was dangerous, that it always came with a price. Possessing magic could get you killed. _Blah blah blah blah_. Her aunt constantly explained the dangers of it. Still, Hope didn’t see how a product born of true love could be dangerous. 

She had a suspicion her aunt wasn’t telling her the whole story. She couldn’t explain it. She just _knew_. You see, she had this nifty thing she liked to call her superpower. She always had a knack in detecting a lie. 

Her aunt knelt down in front of her and took her hand in hers. Hope sighed, knowing exactly where this was going.

“Can’t we practice?” she asked with a theatrical pout. She almost played the birthday card, but she knew her aunt would never fall for it. 

“Not today.” 

Hope bit her lip, a thought coming to her. “You know. We could just tell mother. She may not mind.”

Regina raised an eyebrow at that. “You know she would.”

Hope sighed, knowing her aunt was right. Her mother hated magic, something Hope could not understand, especially considering her mother had magic of her own. Hope found it incredibly ironic that she was named after a feeling her mother didn’t seem to possess. 

Not that it mattered. 

Her mother’s apparent rejection of magic did not stop her from practicing—it just stopped her from practicing in front of her mother. Only when Regina caught her nearly blasting a hole into the stables, did her aunt reluctantly offer to teach her in secret. 

Regina sighed. “Now. Where’s your brother at?” 

-x-

Ian Swan was skipping rocks across the small pond near their house. His mother sat behind him, watching him thoughtfully. As of late, he couldn’t help but notice her doing that more.

_Staring._

It wasn’t that Emma meant to stare. Half the time she didn’t even realize she was doing it. However, every once in a while her son would flash her a smile that reminded her so much of Killian that an all too familiar song would being to hum beneath her skin. She pushed her magic down, locking it away. 

The pebble skipped four times across the water before landing with a plop and sinking below the surface. He turned back to her, a triumphant smile—Killian’s smile—on his face. 

“What?” He didn’t expect an actual answer—or rather, he didn’t expect her to tell him the truth. 

“I’m thinking about your father,” she admitted. She said it so quietly he wondered if she even had voiced the words out aloud.

His hand froze, mid-throw. Slowly, he turned back to her, afraid he’d startle her and she would change her mind. He lost track how many times he’d ask his mother about his father. However, she would only give him incredibly vague answers, telling him that his father had been a hero and nothing less. 

The truth was, Emma was afraid of the truth. Her children knew very little about Killian and not because she was ashamed of him but because of fear. Zelena had taken everything from her. Her parents. Her brother. Killian. She would not let the Wicked Witch take her children from her too. So she kept them hidden, out of sight and far away from Zelena‘s prying eyes. 

As far as Zelena was concerned—and Emma herself for that matter—the Princess of Misthaven was dead.

She at least managed to give them a somewhat normal childhood. She adopted the last name Swan—an orphan name—so her children could attend school in the nearby town. She didn’t think the townspeople would take too kindly to a young boy named Killian Jones—the name of the traitor who had supposedly killed her entire family—so she nicknamed him Ian for short. One day she would tell him his real name but today was not that day. 

Ian turned to her slowly. Aside from his unruly dirty blonde hair, he was the spitting image of his father. Even now, at ten years old, Ian had his striking blue eyes and intense stare. With each passing year she felt him growing into Killian.

Gods above she missed him. 

Ian swallowed the lump in his throat. “What about him?”

She patted the ground next to her and he took a seat there. His mother turned to him, so she was looking into his eyes. To his terror and his discomfort, he thought she just may cry. He knew his parents had loved each other very much—his magic was a dead giveaway at that. According to his aunt, only a product of true love could be born with magic. 

“You look like him,” his mother told him. 

Ian’s intake of breath was sharp. “I do?” He asked hopeful now. 

She traced his cheek with her finger, lingering just by his eyes. “Yes. A spitting image.” Then she smiled and ruffled his hair. “Aside from your hair. You got that from me.” 

“I wish I could have known him,” he admitted to her quietly.

The only thing his mother had told him about his father was that he had been a sailor who died protecting the princess. Surrounded by woman the majority of his life, he yearned for a father. Not that his Uncle Robin or his cousin Roland weren’t enough. They were. Of course they were. But they were always going off on merry missions, leaving him behind and saying they would take him when he was older.

The truth was, Ian lived an incredibly lonely life. Sure, he had the other kids at school but he was never allowed to have anyone over and they never went anywhere, seemingly confined to their tiny cottage and destined to live a simple life. 

He loved his mother and sister. He did. He really did. But he wanted more. He wanted to venture beyond the little town they called their home. He yearned for an adventure like the main character in his storybooks. He wanted to see the sea, climb the peak of the highest mountain in all the realms, and rescue a princess from a tower guarded by a dragon.

He wanted more. 

His mother took off one of her necklaces and draped it around his own neck. It was quite long on his scrawny frame, nearly reaching to his waist. He lifted it gently in his hands. It was a ring he realized.

“It belonged to your father,” she told him softly. “He was a good man, Ian. That’s all you need to know.”

For as long as he could remember he had wanted something that belonged to his father—something to remember him by, even though he’d never actually met the man. Now that he had it, he was at lost for words. He was surprised to find his own eyes suddenly wet with tears. He refused to look at her. He didn’t want his mother to know how much this meant to him. She knew all the same and wrapped her arm around his shoulders and pulled him in close. 

“Happy birthday, Ian,” she whispered against his head, kissing him there. 

“I’ll keep it safe,” he promised. He tucked it underneath his shirt for safe keeping. 

-x-

Emma baked Hope and Ian a birthday cake—which really proved her love for them because Emma did not consider herself a baker. 

As she did every year, Hope asked if she could blow out the candles first considering she was seven minutes older. Emma knew she only did this to annoy her brother. To her credit, Ian fell for it. Every. Single. Year. Argument ensued. 

“Mom!” Ian whined and Hope stuck out her tongue at him. 

Emma did her best to cover up her amusement with her hand. Ian had always been the more sensitive of the two. He may have looked like Killian but he reminded her so much of Leo sometimes it made her heart ache. 

And then there was Hope. When she looked at her daughter, she felt as if she was looking into a mirror of the past. She saw so much of herself in her daughter that it terrified her. She saw her mother in her too. As her children grew into young adults, she was finally beginning to accept that her family hadn’t left her completely. They lived within her children, who carried her family in their hearts whether they knew it or not. 

She smiled softly at them as she sat the cake down in front of them. “Enough,” she threatened jokingly. “Or you won’t get any cake.”

At that, they were immediately on their best behavior. They stared up at her with their ocean blue eyes and she fought back tears. She was usually quite good at hiding her emotions from them, yet she found their birthdays the hardest. 

They should be sharing these moments with Killian, their uncle and their grandparents. Instead, they had been robbed of the life they should have had. She daydreamed about the ‘what ifs’ constantly. What if they had defeated Zelena that day. What if her children had grown up at the palace instead of a small cottage on a farm? What if she left the crown for Killian?

Her last wonder gave her pause. In her dreams, she imagined herself and Killian leaving all their worries behind. She dreamt of raising her kids on the Jolly Roger, away from the confinement’s of the castle walls. She found it very difficult to imagine Hope attending a ball, or Ian courting some princess in a far off land. Her children yearned for an adventure—a life she could not give them.

She reminded herself that they were safe here. Happy.

Neither of them knew they were the true and only heirs to the kingdom. One day she would tell them everything.

One day. 

“Mom?” Ian asked her quietly, breaking her thoughts.

She put on a smile and set the chocolate cake down in front of them. “Make wish little loves.” 

So they did. 

-x-

That night, Killian dreamt of Regina’s cottage. Usually plagued with nightmares, he found this dream a welcoming sight. He sunk into that dream, wishing he could stay there forever. It’d been a decade since he last visited the port, yet he could make it out so clearly in his mind that it felt as if he was really there. 

In his dream, Emma stood at the bow of the Jolly Roger, wind in her hair. She flashed him a friendly smile. As much as he wanted to pull her into his arms, he knew the moment he got too close he would wake from his dream. So he kept his distance, watching her from afar. She looked older than the last time he had seen, though age suited her well and Killian couldn’t help but think how beautiful she looked in that moment. 

The laugh of a child pulled his attention. 

A young boy ran by him. He didn’t catch his face. At first he thought it was Baelfire, but the kid was too young and the child’s hair was too blonde. The kid launched himself into Emma’s arms and Emma set him on her hips. She pointed a finger out in front of her, showing the toddler something out at sea. 

Killian’s heart pinched inside his chest. This wasn’t the first time he dreamed of such things—of the life he could have had. Sometimes the child had his brown hair. Sometimes the child was a girl. Either way, he found these dreams worst than nightmares—a cruel reality of everything that could— _that should_ —have been. 

Usually such dreams put him in a mood. Rather, this dream had strangely filled him with hope—so much so, that the very next morning, he announced they would search for Rumpelstiltskin’s whereabouts at a port he hadn’t visited in nearly a decade. No one questioned why he had suddenly changed their plans. Well, all but one. 

“Why did we come here again?” Leo asked dully. 

The prince looked skeptically around the dock. The port was incredibly small. The odds of finding Rumpelstiltskin there were very low—a fact Killian couldn’t deny

“Because,” he said simply, leaving it at that.

It’d been a few months since he picked up Leo and they were no sooner to stopping Zelena than they had ten years ago. When Leo first asked if he could join him, Killian hadn’t expected much from the former prince. However, Leo quickly began to pull his own weight, proving his worth and earning a legitimate place among his crew. Even still, while they were practically the same age now, Killian would forever see him as Emma’s younger brother. 

“Have you heard something?” Leo tried again and Killian bristled. Sometimes the lad just really couldn’t catch a hint. 

“Perhaps.”

He had absolutely no idea if Rumpelstiltskin was there or not. Regardless, he didn’t think it at least hurt to check, even if they drifted several miles off course. They’d been searching for the crocodile and Baelfire’s whereabouts for several months now. So far, they had very little luck in their search and he was beginning to grow restless. In the very least, Killian was convinced the crocodile was not being held inside the castle

Leo scratched his head, puzzled. “Well. We should at least try Arendelle if we’ve sailed this far.” 

“Sure,” Killian acknowledged. “We will search there next.”

Killian briefly wondered if Regina and Robin still lived at the cottage. Their daughter, Rue, would be around Leo’s age. Perhaps he would pay them a visit, though he knew the reminder of Emma would be too much. Killian, shook his head, knowing he wouldn’t make the visit in the end.

Besides, the Killian Jones they knew was dead. 

He was Captain Hook now. 

-x-

Only late into the evening, long after the twins had gone to bed did Regina even considering mentioning the subject to Emma, knowing it was a very touchy one. She just received a letter from her daughter, who was out with her father on one for their missions. The letters were only growing more concerning by the day. Rue spoke of impoverishment. Disarray. Riots. Uprising in the streets. 

The last letter, really sent her for a tailspin. Neither Emma or herself were ignorant of the fact that Zelena was currently posing as Emma herself. Yet as far as Regina was aware, they were the only one — aside from Zelena of course—in the Enchanted Forest that could have possibly known Misthaven’s current ruler wasn’t who she said she was. 

Apparently she was wrong because Rue’s letter suggested otherwise. They people were threatening to overthrow the crown. As a result, Zelena was having traitors hung in the streets. Zelena was tarnishing Emma’s good reputation, yet this seemed to concerned Emma very little and Regina found that most concerning of all. 

Regina pinched the bridge of her nose. She was getting too old for this. 

Hidden away in the forest, it was easy to forget the troubles of the outside world, easy to sit back and let fate play its own course. But if you had the power to change fate for the better, how could you not choose to act on it?

Easier said than done, she supposed. 

“What is it, Regina? I can practically hear you thinking.”

Regina thought about her next words carefully. This wasn’t the first time she tried talking Emma into taking back the crown. Eventually, she settled with a subject she knew the young woman wouldn’t shut down completely. “You should tell them about their father.”

Emma grew quiet, eyes immediately shifting to her uneaten piece of cake. “I will when they’re older.”

This was the same answer Emma gave every year. 

“They deserve to know.”

Emma’s eyes snapped up, eyes suddenly filled with anger. “You think I enjoy keeping it from them? The entire Enchanted Forest thinks Killian is responsible for my families death?”

Regina’s silence to that was loud and clear. _Because you let them think that._ Yet she held her tongue and tried a different angle. “I realize you are keeping them safe.”

“I can’t loose them. I can’t Regina. They are all I have left. You should understand that more than anyone.”

She thought of her own daughter, Rue. She even thought of Emma and her children, who after ten years had become a part of her family—a family Regina never could have imagined for herself. The irony that Emma had become something of a second daughter to her was not lost on her. As far as she was aware, villains didn’t get happy endings. But then again, perhaps in this story, she wasn’t the villain after all.

If it wasn’t for her age—or for the sheer fact that the Kingdom of Misthaven still thought of her as the Evil Queen, she would have attempted to knock Zelena from her throne decades ago. Yet she didn’t have the strength or the power, and Emma had very little will to do anything about it. Regina thought that maybe with time, Emma would change her mind, yet here they were, 10 years later, and Emma wanted nothing to do with the crown. 

Emma was broken and Regina had no idea how to fix her.

Regina tried once more. “If you wait until they are older they may never forgive you.”

Emma hesitated. She worried about this too. Yet each time she thought of telling her children who they really were, the troll’s prophecy would ring loudly inside her head. 

_Should they fail, all that they hold dear will be lost._

Emma shook her head. She wouldn’t loose them. She couldn’t. “I’m keeping them safe,” she insisted, ending the argument where it stood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I debated REALLY hard if I wanted Emma and Killian’s kid to be a boy or a girl. Ultimately, I decided to go with BOTH. Haha Problem solved. I know the twins storyline is very cliché of me, but this is a fairytale *Shrugs*.
> 
> As for names, I just went with the show’s name for their daughter. As for Ian, I know others have gone with ‘Killian’ aka Ian for short as well. I think it makes sense that Emma would have named her only son after Killian.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Welp! There it is. Please me know what you think! I'm quite excited about this story.
> 
> Stay healthy guys!


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